It is getting difficult for people to work from home with their small children, says Kids First
A childcare organisation says that it is time to reopen day-care provisions, because it is very difficult for parents with children to work from home. As reported by RTV Noord.
“Childcare must be open to all children as soon as possible. Now fear reigns”, says director Ben Schnieders of the Kids First COP group in Groningen. This organisation runs 145 childcare locations in the northern provinces.
It should be noted that though children are still allowed to play outside together, were they to attend large childcare groups it may cause significant family-to-family spread of the COVID-19 Corovanirus. Lots of children would not experience any symptoms at all, though could pass on the illness to their elder relatives, for whom it may be deadly.
Schnieders is seeing more and more families “being put to the test and going into meltdown here and there” as they have to combine caring for their children with working from home.
Currently, childcare centers are only open to children of parents who have a crucial profession, for example Doctors, postal workers, and pharmacists. Anyone who works in an area deemed ‘non-crucial’ has been asked to work from home wherever possible to minimise social interaction.
In addition, at the request of municipalities, organisations like Kids First are caring for a growing number of children who are in a vulnerable home situation and so require their services.
According to the RIVM, children are not playing a major role in the spread of the virus, and few belong to the risk groups. However, the chance of the children being unwitting spreaders of the virus still exists.
Schneiders thinks that it would be easier to manage children’s social distancing at day-care centres: “Children are going outside now too. In some ‘focus areas’ they roam the streets. It is easier to manage physical contact at the centre,” he says.
As far as Schnieders is concerned, it would be a good idea to reopen the doors at least after Easter for children who have no health complaints.
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