Do Covid guidelines need changing?

[TaniaJuk]

Hi,

My son was unwell with high temp, cough etc, I had a spare covid test i decided to use and he is positive.

I informed the school and regardless if he feels better he has to stay off school for 3 days after the test (four in total).

I was a little surprised as the test is no longer compulsory and most people probably wouldn't bother doing one and just send their child back once their temp had gone down.

On one hand I feel the messaging is to treat it like a normal cold now and yet on the other the guidelines would suggest otherwise.

Of course I would not send him to school if unwell but surely many people are walking around with Covid now and don't know it.

So he ends up missing a big chunk of school even if he feels fine after a day.

My feeling is that if you KNOW they have Covid then it is morally the right thing to keep them at home - and the same for any other infectious illness - whatever the guidelines say.

Your child's education will be far more disrupted if half the staff catch it and your have endless subs, or if loads of students are off. Can't school set something on teams for those who are unable to attend but well enough to be doing something at home?

I don't disagree and I feel I did the right thing by the test but considering most people wouldn't now bother it feels rather messy.

If I had not done the test then I would send him back to school when the temp was back to normal.

If its important enough to miss a week of schoolthen people should be encouraged to do the test but the messaging I get is we have to live with and treat it like a cold.

My 12 y/o d/s tested positive today. High temp, dry cough, sore throat and some nausea. Rang school to inform them and they really didn't know what the school policy or general guidelines were. After putting me on hold for a few minutes (while she checked) she then said its basically up to me when I send him back as long as his temperature is normal.
My 7y/o was poorly at the weekend with a high temperature and a headache. I was unable to test him but thankfully his symptoms disappeared after 24hrs so he went to school yesterday as normal.

The guidelines are so sketchy. Hope your son feels better soon @TaniaJuk

Thank you. He is on the mend, but I thought that yesterday and then his temp went up again. So fingers crossed as it was pretty nasty. He had it before but not like this.

Yes I guess it's up to the school as the guidelines from the NHS are purely guidelines and not a must do requirement as far I can see.

I'm hope your 12 year old recovers quickly.

School were very snippy with me and asked why I had tested, when I rang ti say my son had a positive test & asked for current advice.

It's weird there is this push to treat it like a cold by some, when it's not a cold.

Yes I think it's odd to have a policy of not requiring a test, but then if someone tests, to keep them off for longer than they feel unwell.

You'd think if they were bothered about keeping covid cases down, they'd require tests. Or if they don't think it's worth it, why react when someone does? Regardless of your view on covid, it's a bit inconsistent.

It's like they forget long covid exists.

I think the guidance is very wishy washy and no one knows what to do!

I currently have covid - tested yesterday morning (had cough from Tuesday morning) and was negative so have been to work Tuesday and Wednesday as thought just a cold and could manage. Tested this morning as had a fever and massive red line and the person I car share with now has it too! But my daughter who I thought I got my cold from hasn't tested positive at all and she's been ill since Friday. My work (school) made the car share persons test even though she's fine, but if I hadn't tested today or told I had covid it would have been treated like a cold (which its now meant to be like) and other person wouldn't have been made to test.

I know. I wonder how many more kids will face the consequences of this - for them or their loved ones.

Yes, I just found out the guidance is NOT to test your child.

What a messy situation. Don't test your child so they can be in school but if you do they need to stay off for 3 days after the test.

Its utterly ridiculous as the point of the 3 days is not to spread it. But its also fine to spread it.

It's laughable.

In answer to your question OP, yes they do. Current covid policy is abhorrent.

The government aren’t renowned for giving clear guidance to schools. Your guess is probably as good as the school’s OP.
I would suggest contacting your MP or Dept of Health or Education but they are about as useful as a chocolate teapot.

The guidance is perfectly clear - don’t test your child unless advised to by a medical professional. If you test anyway and they test positive, then don’t complain about the guidance given, as it is only guidance and you have already shown yourself eminently capable of ignoring advice and guidance by testing in the first place, rather than using your own common sense based on symptoms, which is self-evidently what they want you to do unless your child is feeling so ill that they need to see a doctor.

Once you have tested, of course the school will likely follow the guidance if you tell them your child has tested positive, because they do not want the blame for ignoring official guidance if someone gets seriously ill and blames the school for not following said guidance. Just remember that you are the one who started all this by ignoring guidance.

The only problem with the advice, of course, is the inability to access medical professionals these days. But then, if your child is ill enough to need to see a doctor and you can’t get an appointment, they are likely ill enough they will need at least 3-4 days off school, anyway, so the guidance is unlikely to make any difference to the time off school. Ie they want your child in school as much as possible.

So, in summary, there is no lack of clarity whatsoever, except in the thought processes of the person who takes a test against advice and then wants to ignore the consequences of testing.