We are learning more about what happens if children or school staff members become sick when in-class learning continues in September.
The government has released a document called 'Operational Guidance: COVID-19 Management in Schools.'
The information is meant to help schools identify and isolate COVID-19 cases, reduce the spread of COVID-19 in schools, and prevent and minimize outbreaks.
The province says parents must screen children daily and they should not attend class if they have any symptoms of the virus.
Teachers and principals will be asked to isolate any child that develops symptoms at school and send the child home when a parent can pick them up.
A child must be symptom free for 24 hours before they are allowed to return to school.
Students with symptoms are recommended, but not required, to get a COVID-19 test to return to class.
Schools will be required to advise parents of any positive tests while not identifying the student.
You can read it by clicking here.
Some of the other highlights of the document include:
Recommending self-isolation after a high-risk exposure (e.g., close contact of a known COVID-19 case or travel out of country) and a return to school only at the end of a 14-day self-isolation period, as they may be incubating the virus.
If a student or staff member becomes ill, but has no known high-risk exposure and has not been asked by their doctor or Public Health Unit to get tested or self-isolate, the person may return to school when symptoms are resolved for at least 24 hours.
Mild symptoms known to persist in young children (e.g., runny nose) may be ongoing at time of return to school if other symptoms have been resolved and there is a negative test.
If symptoms compatible with COVID-19 are persisting/worsening, they will be asked to continue to stay home from school/work and seek medical attention and consider repeat testing.
If a person is ill, but has a known alternative diagnosis provided by a health care provider, return to school can occur when symptoms are resolved for at least 24 hours.
If there is no known alternative diagnosis, and the ill individual was NOT recommended for testing for COVID-19 by a health care provider, the individual may return to school when symptoms are resolved for at least 24 hours.
Self-isolation and testing of asymptomatic non-household contacts of an ill individual without a confirmed positive COVID-19 result is not generally recommended. However, household contacts (roommates and family that live with the ill individual) should self-isolate as per the Ontario Self-Assessment Tool.