Daughter has positive LFT test

[WhenTheDragonsCame]

Good evening. My daughter has just done 2 LFT tests which came up positive nearly straight away. Obviously she will not be going to school this week!

My question is can her younger sister still go to school if her result is negative?

I know I should know this but all the changes have left me a bit confused! I have ordered a PCR test but she does have some symptoms.

Thank you ☺️

Yes she can, but morally? My school has 'strongly suggested' that we isolate siblings.

We’ve kept the sibling home, she’s gone on to develop symptoms much like DH and I.

Not in cumbria. We've been asking for siblings to isolate for several weeks.

Thank you. I think I might keep her at home tomorrow. They catch the bus to school early so I won't be able to call the school to check first.

The rules now are to send them in. I know it isn't morally right, but if they don't go in it gets marked down as unauthorised in register which could then lead to fines. My youngest has it and my eldest is having to go in.

I would still send siblings in, they've missed enough school as it is poor buggers.

You say that she shows some symptoms? In which case no, she should stay at home until you've had a negative PCR.

If her sister has COVID and she has symptoms I would think it's probably COVID and best not to send her in!

@Dauphinois

You say that she shows some symptoms? In which case no, she should stay at home until you've had a negative PCR.

I missed that in the op. Agree with this, if no symptoms would definitely send her in though.

Dauphinois The child who has tested positive on lateral flow has symptoms but the child who tested negative does not.

Send her in unless she has symptoms but keep testing every day or two just in case

DS has tested negative throughout dd, me and DH all having it. Would have been wrong to disrupt his education for no reason and he would have been marked as unauthorised absence

Most people I know have sent the whole family for a pcr following one lateral flow positive. The other children only go back to school when the pcr comes back negative. That is also what our school is asking you to do.

I kept sibling off until her PCR test came back negative- school agreed

This is so confusing. Everyone seems to be doing something different.

I’m just a bit concerned as I don’t currently have a car, trying to buy one at the moment but it’s not going well! So if she gets to school and they say she needs to come home I can’t pick her up. The bus leaves before the office opens so I can’t even call in the morning. I have looked through the correspondence that the school have sent but can’t find anything related to siblings testing positive.

You send them in. Schools cant tell you not to.

I would just keep her home in that case, and say she has symptoms.

Some local authorities in high case areas are now saying that siblings should isolate too. Of course eventually everywhere will have high cases and that will be the advice everywhere.

The current government guidance is that under 18s and fully vaccinated people don't need to isolate from close contact with a positive person.

Schools however have to review their Covid measures if there are more than 5 cases in a class or 10% of the school. Hence some LAs/schools advising all children in the household to stay at home if there's a positive case. If your school haven't sent anything specific, then send DD2 in - test every day if she'll tolerate it, otherwise if any headache, tummy upset or cold symptom as these are the most common symptoms now for children (not that the NHS website tells you though).

Our son has had covid and we sent his siblings in after they had tested negative. They have missed so many days whilst we have waited for PCRs for cold symptoms. Neither of them went on to have covid.

Our school demands siblings of positives come in. Seems crazy. But that’s the rule.