As many of you will be aware from last nights news and social media, the Government have now stepped up the response to dealing with the Corona Virus. The information given seems to contradict itself by banning public gatherings and self isolating apart from essential services however, we have to remember that a school is an essential service.
Without a school operating safely, a significant portion of the workforce would be incapacitated to care for their children and this, combined with the inevitability of the circumstances now form part of the reason why schools at this time are being directed to remain open. We have to assume that the large team of experts and scientists understand the circumstances and the best course of action far better than any of us so all we can do is follow the advice given and keep ourselves updated.
Rest assured, Schools receive daily updates from the DfE although with things moving so quickly, as with last night, guidance can change very suddenly. The current advice to you as parents relating to school attendance is as follows:
- if you live with others and you or one of them have symptoms of coronavirus, then all household members must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill
For me this translates into simple terms, if the above applies, you should not come to school, nor should any of your family members!!! We would appreciate you informing school at your earliest convenience as we have meals to prepare and wish to minimise waste etc.
We already have plans for the various scenarios the school might face and we will act in the best interests of our community whatever that may be.
The rest of the guidance follows below:
- it is likely that people living within a household will infect each other or be infected already. Staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community
- for anyone in the household who starts displaying symptoms, they need to stay at home for 7 days from when the symptoms appeared, regardless of what day they are on in the original 14-day isolation period. (See ending isolation section for more information
- if you can, move any vulnerable individuals (such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions) out of your home, to stay with friends or family for the duration of the home isolation period
- if you cannot move vulnerable people out of your home, stay away from them as much as possible
- if you have coronavirus symptoms:
- do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital
- you do not need to contact 111 to tell them you’re staying at home
- testing for coronavirus is not needed if you’re staying at home
- plan ahead and ask others for help to ensure that you can successfully stay at home and consider what can be done for vulnerable people in the household
- ask your employer, friends and family to help you to get the things you need to stay at home
- wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds, each time using soap and water, or use hand sanitiser
- if you feel you cannot cope with your symptoms at home, or your condition gets worse, or your symptoms do not get better after 7 days, then use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service. If you do not have internet access, call NHS 111. For a medical emergency dial 999
Remember, Keep Calm and Carry On!!!!