Are staff allowed to come in with Covid?

[EmmaInParis]

Hi, our nursery have told parents they have had a few positive tests among staff but in line with government guidance they can come in to work if they feel well enough... is that correct?

I’ve looked through the guidance but it still states not to go into work until a negative lateral flow from what I can see.

Seems ridiculous they can turn a child away for a slight temperature but allow staff with Covid to knowingly mix and infect everyone?!

What would others do in this situation?

Our nursery has just changed the guidance so staff and kids can go in even with a positive test. I’m not happy about it but there isn’t much we can do really. Although when we are due to go on holiday we are now definitely pulling DS out the week before!

Yes it’s correct. Schools can ask staff not to come in if they feel it’s a risk. But that’s up to the leadership team

Not in ours. No staff or kids allowed back in until they get a negative test or have done a week or 10 days or whatever of isolation.

Our nursery policy hasn't changed. Any symptoms and you need a PCR. No return to nursery without a negative PCR or 10 days isolation.

Thanks everyone. So it’s no longer a legal requirement but up to nurseries to manage the risk themselves?

Really don’t know what to do, I don’t want to send in because it then puts grandparents who also provide childcare at risk. But then it won’t be the last time this happens and I can’t keep off indefinitely.

I get that we’re living with it now but it just feels too much too soon having spent the last two years conditioned to fear it and sacrificing so much to prevent it spreading...

The only thing you can do if you're not comfortable with their policy is change nursery but eventually they'll all revert to normal anyway.

Are grandparents all triple jabbed? Are they particularly vulnerable?

All triple jabbed and in the vulnerable age bracket but otherwise in good health. Just worry about waning immunity with the jabs being a while ago. As you say it’ll all end up normal like this anyway, I probably need to just adjust my mindset but it feels like a big shift all at once!

That's flipping ridiculous!
I'd be reluctant to send my child in as well (don't have one at the moment, I'm pregnant but know if the baby was here I really wouldn't send them in with a Covid positive member of staff!)
I imagine if your child doesn't go in because the staff have covid that you still have to pay?
It's irresponsible for them to allow staff in with covid. So all the kids get it and take it home to their families?
Absolutely ridiculous. I'd really question if this was a nursery I'd still want to have my child in if this is their standards.

Yup that’s right, discretionary to the setting and their judgement. Most places I know are asking staff to stay off but I guess your nursery isn’t one of those. In a few weeks there won’t be any LFTs for free so no one will know if they’ve got it anyway and will come in to work.

The next booster for over 75’s etc starts this week I believe.

You wouldn't know though @waitingfortea . I'm a teacher and there are staff in my school with covid. The parents don't know. We don't even have hand sanitiser any more.

Ours isn't allowing them in, but I don't know what will happen when testing stops next month. But it's rife in the nursery in the children anyway, you can't escape it.

I think the grandparents have to make up their own minds on how careful they want to be. We have one set who will see us whenever and are back to normal, and another set who won't see us without lateral flows first.

Grandparents are relaxed about it themselves but I would just hate to be the one putting them at risk. Yes we’ll have to pay if keeping them off.

@BluebellStreet
That's madness! Why would they remove the hand sanitiser? I know the law has changed and people no longer need to self isolate, and there will be a pressure for teachers to go in even when they're I'll, but I'd struggle with that knowing I'd be putting others at risk.
I wonder what the point was in lockdowns and self isolating when the government have now made a decision where none of that is necessary anymore.

I don't know why there isn't any hand san any more, we were doing it four times a day before.

There are absolutely no supply teachers and we have no class TAs either. Just one to ones so you are closing a class of you don't come in. So people are coming in.

@BluebellStreet

I don't know why there isn't any hand san any more, we were doing it four times a day before.

There are absolutely no supply teachers and we have no class TAs either. Just one to ones so you are closing a class of you don't come in. So people are coming in.

Did you have TAs before? What's happened to them?

I guess hand sanitiser is a money thing - as is the rest of it. It's ridiculous that education means so little if they're willing to close whole classes for the sake of £200 a day!

Not class TAs.

The crazy thing is that a childminder must close if they have covid but a nursery staff member can go to work and spread it to all the children and their families. All our local schools and nurseries are not accepting any child that is positive.

Yes, our nursery both children and staff can go in positive, as long as they're feeling well enough obviously.

Nurseries can't really win to be honest. We've had two years of parents complaining that their children have to have a negative test when showing symptoms to come in, now you don't and people are complaining about that 😅

No, not if they have had a positive test. There is no requirement to test now so if staff/children are poorly, they need to stay off till they are better like any other illness. However if it has been confirmed as covid by a test, they need to stay off until they get a negative test. We can't knowingly have staff working with an infectious illness.

The guidelines say that you are no longer required to isolate. M9st nursery staff don't get sick pay to have no option

I guess its all in the plan of living with covid rightly or wrongly! PCR testing sites all shut now. LFT's cost money. With the rise in cost of living, I certainly can't afford to pay for a test every sniffle.