Coronavirus Advice for parents from the School Nurse

The advice around managing Coronavirus in our community can be confusing so I’ve tried to put it into simpler detail specific to the information most parents need to know just now.

The symptoms of Coronavirus are:

a high temperature
a new, continuous cough
a loss of, or change to, your sense of smell or taste

Currently these are the only symptoms we look for to diagnose Coronavirus. Other symptoms such as abdominal pain, headache, diarrhoea and vomiting could be caused by lots of things that aren’t Coronavirus so if you have anything like that ring 111 for advice.

Advice for anyone with symptoms in their house

If someone in your house is unwell with a Coronavirus symptom then none of your children should come into school.

If your child develops a Coronavirus symptom at school, they will be sent home straight away. If they have siblings who live in your house, they will also be sent home at the same time.

If anyone in your house has a Coronavirus symptom you should all isolate at home for 14 days and the person with symptoms should get a Coronavirus test.

If someone in your child’s school has Coronavirus symptoms and your child has been in close contact with them, your child does not need to be sent home and does not need to self isolate unless they develop symptoms as well.

To book a test if you or someone in your home has symptoms dial 119

The best way to prevent Coronavirus spreading is to:

Wash your hand for 20 seconds

Socially distance at least 2 meters apart (in school, children are in class bubbles and do not stay 2 metres apart from each other, instead the bubbles are kept apart.)

If you cough or sneeze catch it in a tissue, bin it and kill the virus

If you’re not sure about a symptom or a test you can dial 111 for advice 24/7

All this information is available at https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus