Covid-19
At St George's we are still ensuring that we are taking preventive measures to limit Covid-19 and other respiratory illnesses.
Guidance for families is below. Please note that guidance for adults and children is different.
Adults
Whilst it is not a legal requirement to self isolate we should all do what we can to limit the spread of respiratory illnesses including Covid-19.
Most people with COVID-19 will no longer be infectious to others after 5 days. If you have a positive COVID-19 test result, try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 5 days after the day you took your test.
Children:
- It is not recommended that children and young people are tested for COVID-19 unless directed to by a health professional.
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Children and young people with mild symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough, who are otherwise well, can continue to attend their education setting.
Children and young people who are unwell and have a high temperature should stay at home and avoid contact with other people, where they can. They can go back to school, college or childcare, and resume normal activities when they no longer have a high temperature and they are well enough to attend. We acknowledge that accessing tests has become much more difficult for families. If you are unwell and have a high temerature , we ask that you help us by keeping your children off school for the 3 days recommended by the government.
All children and young people with respiratory symptoms should be encouraged to cover their mouth and nose with a disposable tissue when coughing and/or sneezing and to wash their hands after using or disposing of tissues.
- If a child or young person has a positive COVID-19 test result they should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 3 days after the day they took the test, if they can. After 3 days, if they feel well and do not have a high temperature, the risk of passing the infection on to others is much lower. This is because children and young people tend to be infectious to other people for less time than adults.
- Children and young people who usually go to school, college or childcare and who live with someone who has a positive COVID-19 test result should continue to attend as normal.
Like the rest of the country, we still face fluctuations in the number of positive covid -19 cases in children and staff.
This presents our community with two key challenges.
- Health risk is still very evident. Although most people are fine, people continue to get very ill and we have a duty of care to minimise health risk to others.
- The disruption to school life is significant. Covering classes internally or with supply if staff are absent wit Covid-19 is very challenging. This challenge is exacerbated with end of year events.
We acknowledge that accessing tests has become much more difficult for families. If you are symptomatic, we ask that you help us by keeping your children off school for the 3 days recommended by the government.
Reduce the spread of infection in your household
While you are unwell there is a high risk of passing your infection to others in your household. These are simple things you can do to help prevent the spread:
- try to keep your distance from people you live with
- in shared areas wear a well-fitting face covering made with multiple layers or a surgical face mask, especially if you live with people whose immune system means that they are at higher risk of serious illness, despite vaccination
- ventilate rooms you have been in by opening windows and leaving them open for at least 10 minutes after you have left the room
- wash your hands regularly and cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
- regularly clean frequently touched surfaces, such as door handles and remote controls, and shared areas such as kitchens and bathrooms
- advise anyone that does need to come into your home that you have symptoms, so they can take precautions to protect themselves such as wearing a well-fitting face covering or a surgical face mask, keeping their distance if they can, and washing their hands regularly
GermDefence is a website that can help you identify simple ways to protect yourself and others in your household from COVID-19 and other viruses. People who use GermDefence are less likely to catch flu and other infections and are less likely to spread them at home.
There is further guidance on protecting yourself and others in living safely with respiratory infections, including COVID-19.
