Dd has a bit of a cold - send to school or not?

[Besom]

Dd has a mild sniffly cold. No cough, temp or anything. Normally would just send her but at the moment - what are we supposed to do?

[Vinoonasunnyday]

That’s different as you say you feel unwell

Most people who have a cold don’t actually feel that bad - certainly not bad enough to stay off

[Vinoonasunnyday]

Plus you have cough which is Covid symptom

Sneezing and snotty are not in guidance to stay off

[Scruffyoak]

my daughter had a snotty nose and 2 days later spiked a temp.....now is fine but shes been tested now

[ballsdeep]

@phlebasconsidered

I would very much prefer it if all parents with children exhibiting symptoms would follow guidelines and keep them at home and get them tested. But it seems like things will be back to normal and they'll just be dosed with calpol and sent in most of the time.

And that's how it will spread in schools.

I was thinking that! And then teachers will get blamed for spreading it.
Ffs keep her home and get her tested. You have results in 24 hours

[Mumof3cherubs]

Getting a test is not that easy where we are. 36 minute drive each way and no home test kits available. I’d send them into school for a runny nose.

[ballsdeep]

@flapdoodlery

ILL CHILDREN SHOULD NOT COME TO SCHOOL REGARDLESS OF CORONAVIRUS OR NOT.

Every year. Forever. Why would you send a poorly child to school? Colds are contagious. It’s not nice for children to be ill in school. Other children don’t want your child’s cold. I don’t want your child’s cold. If you have an ill child then they belong at home.

This with bells on.

I get it's hard for parents but FFS! Giving them some Calpol and putting them in school isnt good enough . It wasn't previously and it's certainly not now.

[ballsdeep]

@Mumof3cherubs

Getting a test is not that easy where we are. 36 minute drive each way and no home test kits available. I’d send them into school for a runny nose.

How selfish can you be???

[canigooutyet]

Yes kids have colds and temps a lot. Anyone who has a temperature regardless of why, should be staying at home.

[canigooutyet]

@Vinoonasunnyday

Yes I would as would all my colleagues because having a cold doesn’t mean I can’t work

I’d be laughed to a disciplinary if I tried to stay off with a cold

Temp/flu is different but no self respecting employee can stay off work with a cold

That’s just embarrassing

www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/infections/how-long-is-someone-infectious-after-a-viral-infection/

Not really embarrassing to be off with a cold, considering what the nhs say.

[GoldenOmber]

Ffs keep her home and get her tested. You have results in 24 hours

She can’t get her child tested, because her child does not meet the criteria you need to meet to get a test.

[Scruffyoak]

I've been waiting 2 days for results!

[flapdoodlery]

I will be taking temperatures in my class about 4 hours after they arrive in school too. You know, just to give the calpol administered at 8am to get them through the school gate a chance to wear off...

[LemonTT]

I expect employers attitudes to the need to be present with a cold will change once they end up with entire teams having symptoms that require isolation and testing. I think quite a few are finding this out now.

Not everyone gets the cold in the same way. Your mild sniffles might result in others having coughs and fevers.

[Evilwasps]

Check your school's policy. Ours now says any cold symptoms, keep them at home

[Dreamstosell]

I looked at the test booking site yesterday and the nearest available test centre it could offer was 100 miles away. This morning it could offer me one that is nearer in actual mileage as the crow flies but would be a 50 minute drive followed by a 35 minute ferry - it’s on an island I’m on the mainland! Not offering an option to get a home test kit.

[WhatsTheFrequencyKennneth]

Our school says stay off with a heavy cold and visably unwell child. A sniffle or a sneeze send them in.
Of course cough or temp isolate, get tested etc.

[Bupkis]

When you book a test online, it asks if you have the 3 specified symptoms - If you say no....you can still get a test.

We had to do tests twice - both times we said no to the 3 symptoms, but were still able to do the test.

[Dreamstosell]

And if you tick the box saying you don’t have access to a car (has to be with someone from the same household) it just says no tests available. So it’s not as easy as saying get everyone tested for a runny nose

[GoldenOmber]

Nicola Sturgeon's briefing yesterday:

"But let me take this opportunity, just to remind everyone, that you should only book a test, either for yourself or for a family member, if you or they do have one of the COVID symptoms; a new persistent cough, a fever, or a loss of or change in your sense of taste or smell.

The exceptions to that general position of only booking a test if you have symptoms are firstly if you are advised to do by Test and Protect, sometimes Test and Protect will advise people, who have been contacts of confirmed cases but who don’t have symptoms, to go for a test. And secondly, if you work in a profession with agreed access to testing, for example, staff working in schools, but otherwise, only book a test if you have one of the symptoms that we often and regularly remind you of."

[latticechaos]

Yes but symptoms of the virus or symptoms of anything? The OP's child doesn't have the former.

The issue is the op's child does have symptoms that could be covid - but not the three main symptoms calling for a test.

The asymptomatic or in many cases low symptomatic spread is the biggest issue and I am not sure the UK is dealing with this at all well.

[BrokenBrit]

The only getting a test if you have one of the three main symptoms is because they don’t have the capacity to test the whole population who may have sore throats and cold symptoms and not because those symptoms can’t be Covid. The Zoe App Tests people with a sore throat and has found lots of people positive with that as an only symptom.

[latticechaos]

Our testing capacity is too low imo.

[GoldenOmber]

Yes, I hope as they ramp up testing capacity then they'll increase testing for anyone with other symptoms or just anyone who wants it. Especially for schools where there's a lot of people close together.

In the meantime there's clearly going to be a lot of tension for parents between school staff who'll think we're selfish and lazy if we don't "just get a test" for cold symptoms, and the government/NHS guidance specifically telling us to not get a test for cold symptoms. What fun!

[BottomOfMyPencilCase]

The asymptomatic or in many cases low symptomatic spread is the biggest issue and I am not sure the UK is dealing with this at all well
I think it would be fairer to say the UK isn't dealing with it at all. There's no provision or safeguards against asymptomatic cases or cases presenting with the symptoms identified by the Kings Cross' study.

@flapdoodlery how can you check temperatures from 2m away? What is your school policy regarding temperature checks?

[canigooutyet]

@flapdoodlery

I will be taking temperatures in my class about 4 hours after they arrive in school too. You know, just to give the calpol administered at 8am to get them through the school gate a chance to wear off...

Hopefully they can slip in something like they did with the masks fines, and issue fines to parents who do this.