Children in Doncaster should stay off school if someone in their house tests positive for covid

Gguidance issued by Doncaster Public Health Team, has changed due to the increase in numbers of children and young people testing positive for COVID-19.

Doncaster Public Health have advised that, in this period of high cases if someone in a household has tested positive for COVID- 19 using LFD or PCR test, then pupils/students should stay at home and follow the steps below as there is a higher risk of children testing positive if a person (parent or sibling) within their household has tested positive.

• If your child has symptoms or develops symptoms on day 1 or 2, they should get a PCR test straight away

• If they don’t have symptoms, they should get a PCR test on day 3, 4 or 5 after their household member started with symptoms (or took their test if they had no symptoms)

• If this test is negative, the child can return to school and complete Lateral Flow Tests for the remaining isolation period of the household contact

• If the child develops symptoms at a later date, they must stay home and PCR test again This applies to primary and secondary age children.

Any pupil who has tested positive for COVID-19 via a PCR test within the past 90 days, and 12–16-year-olds who have had at least one dose of the vaccine more than 14 days ago, will be exempt from this.

Public Health are also encouraging household members to undertake twice weekly LFD testing to help identify cases promptly.

To order LFD kits https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests