Young people and children and coronavirus lockdowns

Statement

Children and young people have a right to pursue life, liberty, learning, leisure, love and laughter.  Article 3 of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child states that, “in all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.”

Key Points & Evidence

In the UK, the number of under-20 with-covid deaths since last March is 40. Of these, 32 had pre-existing conditions and the remaining 8 may have happened to have had a positive test (the CT rate gives high false positives).

Read more...england.nhs.uk

"Covid policies and harms to children", HART Group, 17 March 2021.

Children and young people have been isolated at home and required to work from screens during lockdown. A recent BMJ article argued that closing schools is not evidence-based and causes harm. Requiring children to stay at home and asking them to work and socialise online puts strain on family life. Loss of activities like sport and music compromises health and wellbeing. Due to lockdown and isolation, self-harm and suicidal ideation have all increased. Eating disorder units have reported a 3-fold increase in referrals.

Read more...hartgroup.org

"Young people "unable to cope with life" since pandemic", The Princes Trust. 19 Jan 2021

It is an extraordinarily difficult time for young people. They have missed education and opportunities for exploring interests. Half of young people surveyed aged 16-25 reported deteriorating mental health, with 1 in 4 feeling ‘unable to cope’.

Read more...princes-trust.org.uk

‘Don’t kill your gran’ has put in everyone’s mind an idea that children are asymptomatic spreaders.

This assertion is unfounded and rests on the numbers of positive tests. A positive test might indicate a) a pre-symptomatic case (up to two days before infection) where transmission risk is low; b) a false positive; or c) a trace of virus which is evidence the body is immune and risk of transmission is negligible.

Light transmission is ideal; it gives the body an opportunity to develop natural immunity at the points of nose and throat.

Not only is the idea of asymptomatic spread unfounded but teaching and educational professionals aged 20 to 64 show significantly lower numbers of deaths compared with the population in general (point 6 in the report).

Read more...ons.gov.uk

"Declaration for the protection of children and young people from the Covid-19 response", Panda open declaration and letter to Save the Children

‘Children and young people have the right to pursue life, liberty, learning, leisure, love and laughter.’ Currently, children and young people are living abnormal lives which is jeopardising their health for a disease that does not affect them. It is vital children and young people return to more active lives, contact with others, especially their peers, free from fear and free from guilt that being healthy spreads disease.

Read more...pandata.org

Questions

Conclusion

Under emergency authorisation, children and young people continue to live with restrictions that jeopardise their health for a disease that does not affect them. Those in care or with unstable home lives have suffered more. Education should provide a safe environment for questioning and common sense and truth. Schools can provide support for those with a challenging home life. They can question unconscious bias and labels such as ‘selfish’ and ‘gullible’. Teachers nourish and tend young minds so they can develop curiosity, respect and kindness.

Posted: 1st July 2021

Tagged: Children, Lockdown

Share this information: