Schools and isolations

[Aroundtheworldin80moves]

This is hypothetical..

In England, U18s no longer have to isolate if a close contact.

Would you...
A) send your child to school if a household member had a positive test/symptoms awaiting a test
B) apply the same answer for other infectious illnesses, such as chicken pox, impetigo, scarlet fever, stomach bugs, hand foot and mouth etc?

@DancesWithTortoises

That's not what the op is asking. She's asking about a CONTACT child, not an ill child. You would send the sibling of a child with any of those illnesses to school or risk being marked as unauthorised. Covid will now be no different to existing infectious diseases for CONTACTS.

I feel very uncomfortable about this too and wonder how schools will deal with it in practice (might they turn a blind eye if a child is kept off school because their sibling has covid rather than enforcing unauthorised absence?)

Thanks for all thoughts.

My pondering was i two parts... the complete U turn on keeping potentially Covid infectious children apart from each other... and the way Covid has been considered so different to other potentially serious diseases.

As to what I would do if one of mine tested positive... I would probably say the other had symptoms. At least the first time, due to them have no known exposure yet.

I currently have Covid as does my DS (age 6). My two younger children tested negative, but their nursery will still not accept them because of the contact issue. It's a private nursery and they told us that they have taken advice from public health and the care commission to reach this decision. I think there will be more of this kind of thing coming...

[quote ColettesEarrings]@DancesWithTortoises

That's not what the op is asking. She's asking about a CONTACT child, not an ill child. You would send the sibling of a child with any of those illnesses to school or risk being marked as unauthorised. Covid will now be no different to existing infectious diseases for CONTACTS.[/quote]
I realise that. I was opening up the discussion because there are parents who think it's ok to send ill children into school.

Yes
Yes

@RandomDent

I wish I could say people would be less keen to send sick kids in, but even at the end of the summer term I was feeling with lots of sneezing children who “just had a cold” or “the LFT said no”. They were still ill but got sent in anyway.

It also depends on the attitude of the parents’ employers. I suspect nothing will change really. Many employers will still be unsympathetic and sick kids will still be sent in.

If you can't keep children at home just because they are sneezing! My dd has been sneezing for the past 4 months, does she never go to school?

Why is she sneezing? Is she ill?

a) yes probably (but would make her do a daily LFT even though I know it gives no real reassurance)
b) yes

1. No
2. Depends on the illness, incubation, whether they had already had it/likely to catch it and the severity.

Not Ill, she just sneezes a lot! Some kids do and it doesn't mean they need to be off school. Properly Ill then yes but not for everything or they would never be in.

Yes
Yes if not contagious

My daughter returned to school on the Monday after Easter and was sent home to isolate on the Wednesday morning due to a child being sent in awaiting results having tested on the Sunday night.

Another child was sent into a different year at the end of a 10 day isolation who was positive and on day 7 of their isolation and therefore the whole class had to isolate again having been in school 1 hr!

I'd do everything in my power to limit exposure at home but the lack of respect other people have shown to our kids education I'd be sending my child in with LF test every morning.
If they had a positive or any symptoms I'd keep them home until a PCR result.

@Nowmum43

Not Ill, she just sneezes a lot! Some kids do and it doesn't mean they need to be off school. Properly Ill then yes but not for everything or they would never be in.

So if she’s not I’ll, that’s obviously fine. I mentioned sick children in my post.

No and No

Any children kept at home by parental judgement, when the government says they should be in school will be recorded as unauthorised absence

According to the headteacher, the LEA have informed school that we can have flexibility over this. We can continue to authorise absences for SI for household contacts. This covers us, and the families, for when it's a parent who has Covid and cannot get the child to school due to their own isolation rules.