What's current rules on self isolation?

[user1489844432]

We are in England and there is confirmed case of Covid in the nursery where DC goes. The whole group was told they need to self isolate.

I understand I won't be able to get DC back into the nursery for 10 days but I am not clear whether DC has to stay home and self isolate. All guidance I read online says it is NHS Test and Trace that should get in touch to advise about self isolation but they haven't.

DC needs to isolate for 10 days, as instructed by nursery.
Hope this helps.

That should say -

If you have official notification from nursery, DC needs to isolate. They will give you a date and a time to finish that isolation.

If it was more "We're sending DC home, please stay home for 10 days", that doesn't count, though you should carefully consider it.

Nursery and school settings have only just passed over the reins to T and T, some are continuing. But any notification would be official rather than casual, if you see what I mean.

From middle of August is the next big rule change for double jabbed and chikdren under 18.

For example -

Appendix 3: Template letter advising a child (via parent) to self-isolate for 10 days
after being identified as a direct or proximity contact
Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]
FOR PARENTS OF CLOSE CONTACTS OF A CONFIRM CASE OF COVID 19 at
[INSERT SETTING NAME]
Instruction to Self-Isolate until [add date that is 10 days after contact].
Dear Parent,
We have been advised by Public Health England that there has been a confirmed case of
COVID-19 within the [setting / nursery / school - delete as appropriate].
We have followed the national guidance and have identified that your child, [Insert Name],
has been in close contact with the affected person. In line with the national guidance, your
child must now stay at home and self-isolate up to and including [insert date], which is
10 days since they were last in contact with the confirmed case, and can return to school /
childcare on [insert date].
In calculating the self-isolation end date, we have used the official national test and trace
guidance under which the date of last contact with the positive case is considered to be day
0 of a 10 day self-isolation period and where day 11 is the day when self-isolation is lifted
and.your child can return to school or childcare, as set out below:
We are aware that this may differ from how you could interpret the online information that is
available, but we are advised to use this method by Public Health England as it reflects a
recent change to the national calculation methodology.
We are asking you to do this to reduce the further spread of COVID-19 to others in the
community.
If your child is well at the end of the period of self-isolation, then they can return to usual
activities. A negative test does not mean that your child can return to [childcare / nursery /
school - delete as appropriate] earlier than the period of self-isolation.
Other members of your household can continue normal activities provided your child does
not develop symptoms within the self-isolation period.

The message from nursery was bit confusing as they said that apparently it wasn't mandatory for them to close the whole group but they were advised ro do so by the local council hence my confusion re self isolation.

They obviously weren’t sure what the rules were, so contacted the local council, who advised them to isolate the whole group, presumably they cannot guarantee which child has been in close contact with the positive child, so they’ve been told to ask the whole group to isolate. I know the rules for schools have changed, as they are now closed for summer and now test and trace are taking over contacting people. Whereas nurseries are still open, so if they tell you to isolate then that’s what you should do.

From a legal point of view, then, he/she does not have to isolate.

From a moral point of view, depends upon your morals!
Some would say, of course you have to isolate, some would say, of course you don't have to isolate.

But they were advised by local council to close down for 10 days. (There again, not legally obliged to do so)

A grey area. Depending upon age of child, I personally would consider reducing contacts, especially any vulnerable contacts, and maintaining full social distancing from others. But probably wouldn't fully isolate to house and garden.

But from mid August wouldn't even be considered for isolation of any description.

We had this situation. DC needs to isolate. It’s a legal requirement if the council has told the nursery.

Is it still the legal situation this week now we’re in step 4? I thought you had to wait for the toddler to tell their parents who they were within 2m of for 15 mins or more (lol), the parents hopefully to have the right phone number, and then to be contacted by T&T.

@Overthebow

We had this situation. DC needs to isolate. It’s a legal requirement if the council has told the nursery.

Only if they send a formal letter.

Now we are in step 4 contact tracing is not done by the nursery, it’s test and trace. Therefore if you are not contacted by them I don’t believe you have to isolate.