Date: 20th March 2021

FOR ALL WILLOW & LILAC PARENTS IDENTIFIED AS CLOSE CONTACTS OF A CONFIRM CASE OF COVID 19 at St Margaret’s CE Primary School

Instruction to Self-Isolate until Monday 29th March 2021

Dear Parent,

We have been advised by Public Health England that there has been a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the Willow and Lilac bubble at St Margaret’s CE Primary School.

We have followed the national guidance and have identified that your child has been in close contact with the affected person. In line with the national guidance, your child must now stay at home and self-isolate up to and including Monday 29th March 21, which is 10 days since they were last in contact with the confirmed case, and can return to school on Tuesday 30th March 21.

In calculating the self-isolation end date, we have used the official national test and trace guidance under which the date of last contact with the positive case is considered to be day 0 of a 10 day self-isolation period and where day 11 is the day when self-isolation is lifted and your child can return to school.

We are aware that this may differ from how you could interpret the online information that is available, but we are advised to use this method by Public Health England as it reflects a recent change to the national calculation methodology.We are asking you to do this to reduce the further spread of COVID-19 to others in the community.

If your child is well at the end of the period of self-isolation, then they can return to usual activities. A negative test does not mean that your child can return to St Margaret’s CE Primary School earlier than the period of self-isolation.

Other members of your household can continue normal activities provided your child does not develop symptoms within the self-isolation period.

Please see the link to the PHE Staying at Home Guidance for contacts who do not live with the confirmed case of Covid-19:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-contacts-of-people-with-possible-or-confirmed-coronavirus-covid-19-infection-who-do-not-live-with-the-person/guidance-for-contacts-of-people-with-possible-or-confirmed-coronavirus-covid-19-infection-who-do-not-live-with-the-person

What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID 19

If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, you should arrange for testing for your child via https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested or by calling 119.

Whilst waiting for the test result, all other members of the household should stay at home and self-isolate.

If the test result is positive, all other household members must stay at home and not leave the house for 10 days from the day when the first person in the house became ill.  Household members should not go to work, school or public areas and exercise should be taken within the home.

If the test result is positive, your child will be required to self-isolate for a period of 10 days from the day that their symptoms started.

If your child’s test result is negative, anyone in your household who is isolating solely because of your child’s symptoms can stop isolating.

Household members staying at home for 10 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community.

If you are able to, 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.

Please visit the link to PHE guidance for households with possible Covid-19 infections:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

Symptoms of COVID 19

The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:

• new continuous cough and/or;
• high temperature and/or;
• a loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia).

For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

If your child does develop symptoms, you can seek advice from NHS 111 at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/check-if-you-have-coronavirus-symptoms/or by phoning 111.

How to stop COVID-19 spreading

There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with COVID-19:

• wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds;
• use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available;
• wash your hands as soon as you get home;
• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze;
• allow ventitation in the house through opening windows;
• put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards.

Further Information

Further information is available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs K Perry

Headteacher