Nurseries and Isolations

[SephrinaX]

I'm due back from mat leave shortly and both my children will be back in private nursery.

They've been off since March so I just wanted to check with others to see how the isolation process works in your own nurseries...

If one child develops symptoms, is it just that child that would need to be off and isolate? Or is it the whole family?

And if you are able to get a test and get a negative result, have your nurseries been allowing the kids back before the standard isolation period is over?

Thanks!

If anyone in the household gets symptoms, the whole household needs to isolate. That’s not a nursery rule, that’s a government one.

My DD’s nursery have allowed her back once she had a negative test provided she was better (no temp etc)

As Frazzled says, the whole household self isolates until there is a negative test, or the 14 days are up, as per government guidelines.
In our preschool, as long as the child is well enough they can come back after a negative test.

Agree that this is Government rules not nursery policy

If it is your DC who has symptoms, your entire household must self isolate for 14 days (unless tested and it's negative)

If it is another DC in the nursery, then it is your DC who must isolate. But as you can't realistically isolate yourself from them in the house, you need t be aware that - if she has caught it - you could be incubating it too.

So find work out now how you would cope if a) required to self isolate, b) not absolutely required, but the responsible thing is to minimise contact with other people. WFM? Rigid and impeccable social distancing (over and above legal minimum?)

I’m in the same position as you 2 DCs in nursery and finishing mat leave very soon.
At our nursery if one DC shows symptoms the whole family has to isolate until you get a negative test result. That child is not allowed back until 48hours after the negative result as long as they are feeling well enough to participate in nursery activities.

Thanks all, yes I'll be working from home for the foreseeable anyway so wouldn't be too much of a problem if I had to isolate etc.

Just with having been off on mat leave since January and oldest being off nursery since March and no Covid symptoms, haven't really been absorbing the details on how it works!

Going back to a completely different working world to the one I left!

I think there so much confusion around this and it doesn't help when settings do things differently.
If your child displays symptoms you all self isolate, 10 days for child 14 days for the rest of the household.
If there's a confirmed case in the nursery your child will need to isolate for the 14 days and the family do not need to isolate unless the child displays symptoms.
Regarding negative tests if your child has been in contact with a confirmed case then even with a negative test they must isolate for the 14 days due to incubation period.
No confirmed case and a negative test depending on setting they can return.
It's also worth pointing out that the nursery and schools cannot ask to see evidence of a negative test.
Also if you have two children in two different bubbles within a nursery and 1 bubble gets a confirmed case only that bubble has to self isolate meaning your other child can still attend.

Sorry yes - should have been clearer about testing.

If it is your DC who is sent home symptomatic, then it is the DC who must be tested, and only if that DC is negative (ie symptoms caused by something which is not Covid) can you resume current normal routine.

If that DC is positive, then you all have to complete 14 days isolation. You do not need to test anyone who is not symptomatic, and a negative test does not release someone from quarantine/self isolation following close contact with a case (because of incubation period)

Guidance was updated again yesterday,

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures

Parents should keep an eye on any updates