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Guidance on when to keep the kids home
Posted by SchoolDays Newshound, on 25/08/2021.
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Tags: Parenting
The HSE and the Department of Health have released advice to parents about when children can attend school and when they should remain at home.
The advice is for children and teens up to the end of Secondary school. Below are some of the main points from the guidelines. The full guidelines can be viewed here
Do not send your child to school or childcare if any of the following apply:
Your child has:
- a fever (high temperature - 38 degrees Celsius or above) - including having chills
- a new cough - this can be any kind of cough, not just dry
- been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19
- shortness of breath or breathing difficulties
- loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
- nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea
- aches and pains or tiredness
- sore throat
- headache
A child or adult may not have all of these symptoms, or the symptoms may be mild. Symptoms may vary for different age groups or variants of the virus. It can take up to 14 days for symptoms to show. Symptoms of Covid-19 can be similar to symptoms of cold, flu or hay fever. If your child presents with symptoms you are asked not to send them into school and to phone your GP for advice.
Children who present with symptoms of infectious diseases, must not attend school until 48 hours has elapsed since the final bout of illness. If your child has a persistent condition (e.g. an inclination to clear the throat on a continuous basis, or a cough associated with e.g. asthma) speak to your teacher explaining this. Some schools may require a GP note to support the explanation.
What to do if you need to keep your child at home
Follow the advice for children with symptoms if your child has:
- common symptoms of COVID-19
- other symptoms, such as sore throat or headaches
- diarrhoea
- an existing breathing condition that has recently become worse
Follow the advice on what to do if your child is a close contact of COVID-19 if your child has:
- been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19
- been living with someone who is unwell and may have COVID-19
These are HSE guidelines from the Gov.ie website. For more information on Covid guidelines, click here.
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