Yes there is no need to talk about any Covid or Government Guidelines in particular here.
However, I hope we can talk about Melanie's Instagram posts specifically and Covid chat started because of Melanie's content. All of us questioning /exploring the information she is spreading as fact is very important since the words 'in my opinion' are frequently missing! I'm glad that none of us appear to have been taken in by her assurances of her thorough research...the key problem is how she extrapolates, stretches and twists the scientific fact she is reading to fit her narrative of warped ideas.
However, I do also think that with the responsibilities she has as an influencer, she should be more restrained in how often she shares very strong opinions on topics that have nothing to do with her and don't even effect her:
!
Why Mel feels she has any right to comment is beyond me. She's so far removed from this issue. Doesn't have a school aged child yet, doesn't work in a relevent field, doesn't have any relevant education or experience. Her so called "teaching degree" doesn't allow her to teach young children. What does she think she's adding to the conversation other than "I'm mad about this thing that doesn't have anything to do with me." She can go to restaurants now so she needs to find new reasons to complain I guess.
I feel exactly the same way regarding how irrelevant and unqualified Melanie is to be spouting her angry opinions about covid management in schools, potentially reaching thousands of followers and getting them wound up! But to be clear, I'm not suggesting she should be less genuine+ transparent; just quieter!
My colleague has a 3-4year old at playgroup (now nursery a year on) and by last Dec 2020 there were two children in his class of 25 who lost a previously healthy parent. Yes, this topic is grim and this thread is not the place for doom and gloom and catastrophising, but Melanie keeps inserting herself into the discussion. but Melanie has no experience of a kid at nursery and just how frequently they share colds and catch new ones and, while building THEIR immunity is important and kids aren't being badly effected by severe covid infections, when they take it home and share it round everyone who hugs them- there's real trouble.
My colleague introduced a dinosaur mask for her kid slowly for increasing lengths of time and while doing different activities so it wasn't scary and within a week he was happy to wear it anytime he was not eating/snacking and was engaged in some activity/occupied.
It is not 'child abuse' and that is certainly a problematic choice of terminology! Instead it is lazy parents who don't know how to parent and teach their brats that life is an endless series of compulsory actions and behaviours you have no choice but to comply with.