If there is a case in my dd's school year, does she have to isolate at home?

[anniemouse]

Apologies - I am confused.

There's been an confirmed case in my dd's year and they have been sent home. I know she can't go back to school for 14 days but does this also mean she has to stay at home and cannot go out at all? She has no symptoms and does not share any classes with the girl who has been tested positive.

In our school, whole year group gets sent home.
School spend a couple of days working out who are close contacts. Those have to isolate, the others get called back in.
A case in one year took 80 out of 265 children.
A case in another year took just over 100, some of those were bus contacts.

Nice, that's what happened for 1st case. 2nd case closed the bubble regardless.

@halcyondays

But don’t all schools have to go through the Public Health Agency if they have a confirmed case? It’s them that decides who’s a close contact and should isolate, not the school. So no different than if you’d been identified by track and trace after being out somewhere. If you’ve been advised to isolate then you’re supposed to stay at home for 14 days.

I believe the responsibility of tracking close contact in school no longer lies with PHE but with DoE (because they are experts in epidemiology etc ).

@anniemouse

Her whole year group have been asked to self isolate.

I agree it makes more sense to work out the close contacts and the advise accordingly. However - a lot of the rules the government and how organisations interpret them don't make sense!

They could be doing everything right and were told to do exactly that after looking at the potential close contacts they did know.

@MyDogSmells

Yes, completely oscillate at home I'm afraid, but rest of family can go out as long as no symptoms

I know the situation isn't funny but I love this typo! Going to using this if I have to self oscillate.

This flow chart makes things clear.

DfE advice on straightforward cases. Multiple cases or linked cases seem to go to PHE still.

This is based on experience on what happened in our school yesterday with linked cases.

For comparison, my partner is a headteacher and they have had 2 cases so far (sixth form college). Only close contacts have been told to isolate. He is completely committed to keeping as many kids as possible in school and protecting their mental health.

If you don't believe your daughter is a close contact I would definitely take her out for exercise, you can easily avoid others, the virus can't fly 3/4m through the air outside.