Mother's fury amid threat of fines: "Our kids are being used as test subjects"

29 June 2020, 17:14

"Children are being used as test subjects in school reopening"

By Seán Hickey

Government announced plans to fine parents if they don't send their children back to school in September. This caller thought the policy was appalling.

Eddie Mair took a call from Alison, who shared her disgust at the plans from government.

"I think it's absolutely shocking and I don't think children should be expected to go back to school until the houses of parliament and the house of commons are sitting themselves" she accepted that politicians are currently sitting in Westminster, but pointed out that they aren't being forced to attend.

"Our kids being used as test subjects is not acceptable in my mind.

"There is no cure, there is no vaccine, Covid is still there. Putting kids out there even if they are not affected as much by the virus, they still contract it and they still spread it."

The caller shared her horror at not seeing government coronavirus guidelines being enforced as it stands in schools. "Not one is being forcibly socially distanced" she said, adding "it is not being policed and I'm watching this all day every day."

"I cannot trust someone else to enforce social distancing in my child when they're not enforcing it themselves."

Alison said that her own child is one of the lucky ones, telling Eddie that her school have "been putting all their lessons online" and so her child has been keeping up with school work.

"I do recognise we are lucky and there are a lot of schools that are not doing that, but what I don't understand is why they're not." Said the caller, wondering why teachers can't continue to teach remotely.

"It is very simple to do and allowing the teachers to do lessons on zoom according to their timetable would not put them out at all."

Listen & subscribe: Global Player | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify

More Eddie Mair