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Original poster

Does this mean DD can't leave the house for 14 days?

81 replies

notevenat20 · 18/10/2020 22:04

We just received this from DD's school:

"This evening we learnt that a member of staff who has had contact with your child’s class has tested positive for covid 19. As a result your child’s class will move to home learning from Monday 19th October for the remainder of this half term. Your child should not come into school tomorrow."

Does this mean she can't leave the house for 14 days now? The letter doesn't explain this.

OP posts:
middleager · 19/10/2020 07:26

Here is the official guidance. These children are contacts of a positive case. Why are some posters telling OP their child does not need to SI?

'What should I do if I am a contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19?
If you have been informed that you are a contact, you must self-isolate at home for 14 days from the date of your last contact with the person who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Self-isolation means you must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days.

It is very important that you follow this advice even if you feel well, as symptoms can take up to 14 days to appear from your last contact with the person who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Self-isolating in this way will help protect your family, friends, the wider community and the NHS.'

Fizbosshoes · 19/10/2020 07:35

Its 14 days since she last had contact with the infected person so if she last saw them for instance Thursday, it would be 14 days from Thirsday.the rest of you in the house dont need to isolate

KnightsofColumbusThatHurt · 19/10/2020 07:56

A letter from the school does not have the same legal authority as contact from track and so is guidance only. It is deliberately done this way so that parents can still work and other children in the family can go to school.

But the official guidance is that parents/siblings of a contact can still carry on as normal anyway?

JellyBabiesSaveLives · 19/10/2020 08:05

It’s difficult because the contact advice applies if you’ve been closer than 2m for more than 15 minutes, if your child was sat at the back of the class and the teacher stayed at the front it doesn’t apply. In fact the government would have us believe that teachers are safe without PPE because they’re always able to keep 2m from all pupils!

But most schools aren’t looking at it that closely. Ours just sent the entire year group of 200 kids home because one child had it and they’d no idea who was actually a contact.

StealthPolarBear · 19/10/2020 08:08

@Bluesheep8

What is the rule about people coming to the house if your child is isolating?

Surely the word Isolating is self explanatory? No one can come into the house and your child should stay in it. It's really worrying if people genuinely don't understand the meaning of the word isolate.

Surely very few people make the child isolate from their own family? So if the family is out and about, at work or school etc which is what they're told to do, I can see why op is confused. For example if the child stayed in his or her bedroom during the period of the visit. I'd assumed if a child was isolating as a contact their household would need to as well (or they as an individual would need to stay away from the family) but that is not the case.
Bluesheep8 · 19/10/2020 08:23

I was under the imoression that the while family have to isolate. ie stay in the house.

cologne4711 · 19/10/2020 08:27

@Ecosse

No, she doesn’t have to isolate for 14 days unless she has been in close contact with the infected individual for an extended period.
This. Merely being in the same classroom does not mean close contact. Presumably the school has a seating plan, so they know who's been closest to teacher. And going into school is the riskiest activity and they've stopped that.

This has happened twice to a friend of mine's son in Germany. The first time he had to isolate for 7 days (they don't require 14 in these circumstances), but the second time he wasn't considered to be a close enough contact so he was fine.

dementedpixie · 19/10/2020 08:28

Not for a child with contact at school. The whole house isolates if the child gets symptoms

Bluesheep8 · 19/10/2020 08:30

Ah ok, I had misunderstood. Thank you for clarifying.

cologne4711 · 19/10/2020 08:33

But most schools aren’t looking at it that closely. Ours just sent the entire year group of 200 kids home because one child had it and they’d no idea who was actually a contact

It probably depends a lot on the school. DS' 6th form college have had one case and sent home close contacts from the seating plans plus some students who they knew they socialised with outside college. But everyone else (including others in those classes) are able to go in. I am assuming it wasn't anyone in DS's subjects as he says nobody has disappeared from them.

Indoctro · 19/10/2020 08:35

No it doesn't unless Track and Trace contact you is what I've been led to believe.

AlwaysLatte · 19/10/2020 08:36

Yes she needs to isolate for 14 days and no one visit. Poor kid though, it's tough for half term 😢

S00LA · 19/10/2020 08:37

We had this and the WHOLE HOUSEHOLD had to self Isolate for 14 days from the last contact, which fortunately was 4 days before we got the phone call / email.

In our case it was a pupil, not a teacher.

middleager · 19/10/2020 08:38

@S00LA

We had this and the WHOLE HOUSEHOLD had to self Isolate for 14 days from the last contact, which fortunately was 4 days before we got the phone call / email.

In our case it was a pupil, not a teacher.

Well they gave you the wrong advice. Thank gooness it was only 4 days.
sm40 · 19/10/2020 08:51

We are just finishing my sons isolation! We had a text and then a very detailed and clear letter as to what he could do. We haven't had anyone in the house but the rest of the family have been out and about as advised. Think the school is acting as a public agency of track and trace.
I would imagine you will get an letter today once they've had a chance to work out who's actually impacted.

Lockdownfatigue · 19/10/2020 08:55

Track and trace contacted us last week when dc class were sent home to isolate

S00LA · 19/10/2020 09:03

Well they gave you the wrong advice. Thank gooness it was only 4 days

It wasn’t the wrong advice , it was an official letter. And it was 10 days.

Ladyface · 19/10/2020 09:05

My dd was sent home after a boy in her class tested positive. The same evening she was complaining that her food tasted weird. She was tested and was positive so your dd does need to self isolate and no one should come to your house. If she develops symptoms the whole household needs to self isolate. Test and trace don’t contact you if it’s through school. The school give you the date. It is meant to be 14 days from symptoms showing or if no symptoms it is 14 days from the test. Hope your dd is ok.

Original poster
notevenat20 · 19/10/2020 09:17

Thank you @Ladyface.

Hopefully at some point today we will get more detail.

OP posts:
Comefromaway · 19/10/2020 09:31

@S00LA

Well they gave you the wrong advice. Thank gooness it was only 4 days

It wasn’t the wrong advice , it was an official letter. And it was 10 days.

Well the official letter was wrong (unless the rest of the household had also had close contact with the positive child)
Frazzled2207 · 19/10/2020 09:40

I'd be seeking clarification but it reads to me that the kids can't come in because of a staffing issue. If the poorly teacher stayed more than 2m away from all the children then there should be no need to isolate.

But agree it's not entirely clear. Perhaps the school is unsure yet what they need to do and just needed to get the message out to people - if in any doubt though they should have asked everyone to self isolate unless told otherwise.

middleager · 19/10/2020 09:43

Exactly Come

As posted upthread, official guidance states contacts of contacts don't need to self isolate also.

Original poster
notevenat20 · 19/10/2020 11:22

Got the letter through

In line with the national guidance your child must stay at home and self-isolate until Thursday 29th October.

Does anyone know, is that midnight on the 29th (as in one minute before the 30th)?

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 19/10/2020 11:24

Do you know what day last contact with the teacher would have been? Its 14 days from that day

Original poster
notevenat20 · 19/10/2020 11:27

Do you know what day last contact with the teacher would have been? Its 14 days from that day

No the letter doesn't say who the teacher is or give any more details.

OP posts: