Parents! Please don’t send your kid to school with a cough or temperature

[noblegiraffe]

We’ll have to send them home again, and that’s a whole lot of hassle that could have easily been avoided by parents following the government advice.

No, you don’t get to decide whether the cough or a fever is ‘simply a cold’. Neither do we. Just follow the guidelines please.

Apart from anything, it’s freaking their classmates out and we can really do without stressing out the kids even more about this.

Thank you.

Not quite sure what to do with ds.

He has a snotty cold, no temperature and has coughed (more cleared his throat) twice today. He doesn’t have Covid but I’m still not sure if I should send him in.

I wish they would just close the schools

New, persistent cough in this house.
DS's is likely linked to the snotty cold he's had for the last 4 days but that's that.
He's only 6 though, so he'll enjoy a week off school.

Give it up, Dozer. Nobody on Mumsnet seems to want to read the guidelines that say "new repeated / continuous cough", they just see the word "cough" and want the isolation to be applied to absolutely everybody regardless of how long somebody has had the cough and what type of cough it is. All over Mumsnet they are saying 'if you have a cough, isolate'. All over FB they are saying 'if you have a cough, isolate'. People such as you and me keep repeating "new repeated / continuous cough" but it's like banging our heads against a wall.

I wish they would just close the schools

Although something needs to be put in place for essential workers. What a nightmare.

The advice isn’t clear. GPs and nurses are saying this on Twitter. If it said SaH with ANY coughing, that would be clear. “continuous” and “repeated” are subjective.

This is the dilemma I have at the moment. DD has a new cough, I don't know if she has a temperature as I've not checked yet. However, it's not continuous or repeated it's a bog standard, intermittent, slightly chesty cough. I have no issue keeping her home as it makes no difference to me but I'm not convinced it would be beneficial at all.

I would just like government to publish decent, clear guidance for parents, teens, workers, schools etc.

The government advice is unclear. Nobody will be tested, so we can expect weeks and weeks of this, having to take another week off each time a child has a cough, but still never knowing if they have had it. Surely that is the thing that will cause 'behavioural fatigue'? As in, 'Oh I took DS out of school with a cough in March so I think he's had it, I will send him in this time'. It doesn't seem like they have thought the economic impact of this through, when other countries are managing to have drive-through testing facilities etc.

I also wonder if those being so rude to others on this thread are stay at home parents or in very secure jobs? Would you be so snotty if your job was more precarious and you weren't going to get paid next week?

I know all this is moot if they close schools in a couple of weeks anyway.

Children get mild CV symptoms. Please keep them off if they have a cough or a fever or both. Adults get it worse and adults include teachers, TAs, support staff etc, and their relations.

I'm ill (fever, cough, aches) and self isolating now because parents haven't followed the advice. If enough staff get unwell there won't be the ratios to remain open anyway.

I will be keeping my DC at home if they develop any new cough and would urge everyone else to do the same.

There is very little known about how the virus presents in children and, as far as I am aware, many common winter colds are coronaviruses so perhaps this particular Coronavirus might affect children in the same way as a cold. Point is, no one really knows.

However I completely understand what @Dozer has been saying about the official advice. “Continuous cough” is not a commonly used description of a cough, and since “continuous” generally means “without interruption”, many people are going to interpret it to suit.

I expect what the government means is “not a one-off coughing fit” but that is not what they have said.

They really need to clarify. As this thread has shown, there is a common understanding of what “a cough” is, but no common understanding of what “a continuous cough” might be. Everyone thinks they understand it, but their understandings are not the same.

@Sucksfake1 your DS is bloody gorgeous. He says sorry before being naughty not after

Please keep them off if they have a cough or a fever or both

But it's not just "a cough" in the advice is it?

I would just like government to publish decent, clear guidance for parents, teens, workers, schools etc

Yeah, me too.

How new is new?
If it is since the Gov advice changed then I am fine to go to work. If it is in the last 7 days I’m not. If it’s 7 days prior to the Gov advice then DD has to stay off as well (even though she doesn’t have a cough now).

So they need to define ‘new’ as well as ‘continuous’

(But they won’t, so both DD and I will be in school tomorrow)

Ok. My kid's been coughing with a cold for a week and a half and has been in school the whole time. No temp at any stage so didn't think it was worrying. I suppose the 'new' thing could be confusing.

Same. I'm sticking with the "new" part. My daughter is the "full of snot and coughing a little" camp. It is not a new thing, she has had it for nearly 2weeks. I sent her to school and asked them and they said they knew it wasn't new so not to worry.

The advice is clear and requires minimal reading comprehension skills.

A primary school local to us has asked children to come in unless they have both a temperature and a cough. This was also published on their social media. When loads of people pointed out that they were going against government advice the post was hastily deleted!

I’ve just seen the health secretary saying we haven’t got enough ventilators. Personally think they should simplify the advice, I keep thinking about the elderly dying in Italy and I hope that anybody on this thread that has a sick kid they believe doesn’t meet the criteria to isolate is at least keeping them away from their grandparents/elderly neighbours etc.

Hi @SimonJT as you think The advice is clear and requires minimal reading comprehension skills could you tell me what the Gov means by ‘new’ please. Because obvs my comprehension skills are lacking.

I developed my cold and cough 6 days ago, pre the new government advice. I am self isolating, but is that a ‘new’ cough? Would it be new if it was 7 days ago? 8? 5? It is not clear.

The advice is clear and requires minimal reading comprehension skills.

Is it?

Stay at home for 7 days if you have either:

a high temperature – you feel hot to touch on your chest or back
a new, continuous cough – this means you've started coughing repeatedly

I feel "hot to the touch" on my chest. Because I'm wearing a jumper, my actual temperature is 36.7

Define "repeatedly" when it is being used to explain "continuously". Once every three hours is "repeatedly" but it isn't "continuously".

New to you!

Ie you don't normally have a cough from asthma or COPD etc.

In other words, you are usually well with no cough. That is your normal. Then, one day you develop a cough. It's new. It's not a chronic cough you've had for months or years. It's not a clearing of the throat from chronic or temporary nasal drip, it's not 'oh dear, my cake went down the wrong way.' Most people are aware that they, or their child, has developed a cough where no cough existed before.

That is what 'new to you' cough means.

People didnt need new cough or fever explained to them before, I don't know why they do now all of a sudden.

therefore isn't she past the isolation timeframe as that's when it's most contagious?

7 days isolation is because after 7 days either you’re improving and go back to work, or you’re not improving and you call 111 for advice.

After about 5 days is when you’ll know if you’re in serious trouble with CV.

So a new cough would be one that started less than 7 days ago. Isolate yourself until 7 days from the start of the new cough are up.

It's not just "new cough" though is it?

I've literally never known someone to have trouble noticing 'oh, my child who doesn't usually cough now has a cough'.

Don't send coughing children to school, Covid19 or not, unless they have a prior diagnosis of a non-infectious illness causing chronic cough.

The advice is not just "a new cough".

Yes Soup but people are asking what ‘new’ means and that’s why ‘new’ is currently being discussed.

Dds been coughing for weeks. We saw the dr in half term after she had had it fir 3/4 weeks . No temp, no sign of any infection, throat and chest clear. Said her ds had had it for several weeks now too.

It's better than it was. Shes fine when shes up and about. Just seems worse when shes laid down or got a bit warn under the blanket.