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THE HSE and the Department of Health has released advice to parents about when children should be kept home from school and when they can attend.
The guidance is being published ahead of the return of schools this week and next week amid a much-change landscape due to Covid-19.
Parents had previously been advised that children should not attend school if they or any members of their household had symptoms of the coronavirus. Further details this had been promised for the past month.
The HSE has now published specific guidelines on when children should be kept at home, stating for example that “a new cough” is grounds to keep them at home while “a runny nose or a sneeze” is usually okay.
The advice notes that “every year, schoolchildren get colds, flu and other infections” and that there are specific symptoms that must be spotted.
The pamphlet adds: “Most of the time, you do not need to phone your GP if a runny nose or sneezing are your child’s only symptoms. Talk to your pharmacist instead.”
The advice lists four scenarios where a child should not be sent to school. They are when a child has:
If any of these situations are present, parents will need to:
1. Isolate your child. This means keeping them at home and completely avoiding contact with other people. as much as possible. Your child should only leave your home to have a test or to see your GP.
2. Phone your GP. They will advise you if your child needs a coronavirus test.
3. Everyone that your child lives with should also restrict their movements, at least until your child gets a diagnosis from their GP or a coronavirus test result. This means not going to school, childcare or work.
4. Treat your child at home for their symptoms.
On the contrary, the guidance also outline situations where it is “usually ok” to send a child or children to school or to childcare
The are when a child:
Speaking at a Department of Health briefing this evening, Dr Mary Favier of the Irish College General Practitioners (ICGP) said that if a child is “otherwise well” but “just constantly sniffles and sneezes all the time they can go to school”.
But what do you do then with a child who has a bit more than that? That’s where you need to start to pay attention. It’s reasonable for a child to go to bed with a slight runny nose at night and to say I’ll see how they are in the morning. But if they are in any way unwell they should not go school.
“I know speaking as a parent, we all did this a little bit in the past, saying they’re not too bad, they don’t particularly have a temperature, we see how they go during the day. Well, that’s not okay now. So, while we’re back to school, as usual, it’s not normal.
“So, for most parents it’s about saying any child who has a temperature shouldn’t go to school. Any child who has a cough shouldn’t go school. Any child who has any of the symptoms that might actually suggest Covid, which would for instance be when an older child tells you that their taste isn’t usual or they feel unwell. Generally a child who is feeling unwell should stay at home for a 48 hours until after the symptoms settle.”
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That’s good. Keeping them home every time they had a runny nose would‘ve been a nightmare
@Newto2016: creche’s send kids home for a runny nose all the time, even before COVID19
@Newto2016: it’s terrible children often have runny nose as sign of COVID they will come into schools and spread it to everyone by sneezing on everyone. It’s not good enough especially as high risk children and teachers are being told they must attend school. Someone’s child with a runny nose will kill someone
@Forkan Orla: If every kid stays out for a sniffle there will be no kids in creches or schools by November.
@Forkan Orla: most kids have runny noses for the first 3 years of school – continuously
Plenty will send their kids in anyway
@Derek Lyster: If they do I doubt they’ll be there too long given the guidelines to schools
@Sorcha Ní Shúilleabháin: Now Johnny! Don’t sniffle and use your sleeve. Treat in it for you.
You’ll always get the kids that want to go to school regardless. Parents be vigilante.
@Seán O Ciara: Don’t know about you but I was the exact opposite!
@Seán O Ciara: and those that want to stay at home *cough, cough*
@Seán O Ciara: Parents be Batman?
What kind of cough only lasts 48 hours?
@Seán O’Loughlin: Not the kind creche kids get….generally coughs can last the entire winter
@Green Lentils: Exactly… And if its a “new” cough, how long do you have to have it until its no longer considered new?
@Seán O’Loughlin: Exactly
@Ted Logan: I’ve reminded my son that if he tries to use fake Covid symptoms as a way of getting off school, he will still have to be tested and have a supersized cotton bud shoved up his nose into the back of his head, so best not to even think about trying it. That seems to have worked.
@FrustratedASDMum: well played
Is this serious?
@Zane Silver: Nope! Just whacked out some random stuff to get people scared before heading to a frontline golf meeting.
My son has started practicing his cough already. Teachers are no match for a 12 year old who has worked out their weak point.
@Tony Humphreys: Just remind him that even if he’s faking, he’ll still have to be tested to be on the safe side, and that involves having a giant cotton bud shoved up his nose into the back of his head. That should put a stop to any thoughts of fake Covid coughs. Has worked with my son anyway.
@FrustratedASDMum: great idea, let’s make the real test a punishment. How many cases would such an attitude miss?
@Tony Humphreys: tongue in cheek comment, tongue in cheek response and then you suddenly get all stroppy. Lighten up
Looks like there will not be many kids going to school.
@Michael Maher: If a cough is all it takes I can’t see very many going back next week as its prime change in the season coughing weather
@Michael Maher: yes, handy guidelines, aligned with the green travel zones such as Greenland or Gibraltar.
In all seriousness, it will be interesting how we all cope with normal winter illneses….no one in our family has been sick since March, but today my spouse and I are feeling a bit run down and headachy and of course it is hard not to think the worst LOL.
Most people have not been exposed to many germs since March so I would imagine we will feel worse with those first colds and sore throats having not been used to it for awhile!
@Seeking Truth: actually, most of us have been outside, we’ve been to our offices / workplace and gone shopping. Maybe even had a meal out or a ‘staycation,’ and met up with friends. Very few have been ‘cocooning’ for months.
So more viral surges when the schools reopen, staggered drop off/pick up times & buses running at 50% capacity just won’t cut it, will put more pressure on public transport
Study hard kids one day you could be a teacher.
@Padraig Carey:
And?
Any link to the pamphlet?
@Sorcha Ní Shúilleabháin: you just read it, couldn’t be more info on it. They don’t dont know their arse from their head , silver spoon filling the boots of friends and family before, you’ve seen it yourself with someone getting life handed to them, they dont actually understand anything but making the gold. Our children are to be used as Guinea pigs. Send them back as the first group gatherings and see what happens to them. If covid is to kick off again in the cold season, our little people will have the most exposure.
@paul whelan: Are you advocating that schools remain closed and all learning goes online?
I’m not sending my child in, meant to start JI. Well ready to start but not a chance am I letting him be used as a guinea pig.
@Greeneyes17: so you will stay at home for the next year or more? Or are you going to wait it out and see how other kids get on first? No who’s the Guinea pig. Ridiculous comment
Surely parents who are concerned if their child is unwell should contact their GP for a check up, as they have always done. They will be assured of a professional diagnosis and the GP will have the family’s history on file.
@Seamus Kelly: most of us don’t run to a GP every time a child sneezes, we use common sense.
@Seamus Kelly: at 55 Euro every time, do schools get kickbacks?
What if they have a runny cough
@Crispy Brown: care to elaborate?
have your say