[FooHentai]

>Closing schools never really made sense for the children once it was identified that the virus attaches via ACE2 receptors

After bemoaning failure to consider second-order effects this seems like making the same mistake - It was a good news that kids were less susceptible to severe infection but protecting children was not the sole purpose of closing schools. Kids were still susceptible to infection and could still spread the disease to adults. Schools were a mixing pot for kids to get infected and then go home to infect adults who might then suffer more severe effects.

I think even in retrospect it holds up very well as an effective means (amongst many others) of slowing spread.

[roflc0ptic]

I mean, I think my real complaint is that

1. humans are fuckin' terrible at thinking through second order effects, and 2. often they are simply unknowable a-priori

so to the extent that I am doing the thing I'm unhappy with, it's less hypocrisy and more accidentally proving my broad point.

At any rate, about kids: the same reason kids aren't especially susceptible to COVID seem to also substantially reduce their transmission of it. It might be the case that it's still worthwhile for the broader community, idk - I'm certainly default a little skeptical of anyone saying "think of the children!"

[fragmede]

> the same reason kids aren't especially susceptible to COVID seem to also substantially reduce their transmission of it

In hindsight, maybe, but there were a lot of unknowns in March of 2020 and that was one of them.

[roflc0ptic]

oh, totally - my post also said I thought the initial lockdowns were fully justified and correct, and that only after the discovery of the ACE-2 mechanism did the calculus for children having schools open change (for me)

[Fatnino]

That first summer lots of kids went to sleepaway camp and caught the virus there.

Then instead of just staying at the camp where it would be contained and burn itself out, the camps themselves shut down and sent everyone home on regular commercial flights. Completely inexplicable and inexcusable.

[AstralStorm]

Real lesson to be learned is to open lockdowns and remove restrictions gradually.

"Open schools and kindergartens" is not gradual.

[wbl]

Bars were open. Whatever impact school would have on transmission was dwarfed by bars.