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Covid Update for schools

Joanne G Leave a comment

Please see attached letter from the Director of Education.

Letter to School Head teachers/Staff/Parents from Director of Education

PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Following the Education Minister’s announcement last week, I want to take the opportunity to provide an update on the current COVID-19 control measures in place across our schools until the February half-term break.

Please note that if your child is under the age of 5 years old they should not take COVID-19 tests unless directed to do so by a medical professional, or if you believe a test is absolutely necessary and in the best interests of your child.  They should however remain off school if they are unwell or have a high temperature and not return to school until it returns to normal and they feel better. 

  • From 6th January 2022, anyone without symptoms who tests positive on a Lateral Flow test (LFT) are no longer advised to take a follow up PCR test.
  • If the test comes back positive, the contact tracing system will commence for that case. The Test, Trace and Protect service will contact you via text. You will be issued with an EFORM or receive a phone call to enable the TTP service to gather contact tracing details. By providing details of your child’s contacts, you are helping to keep Wales safe and break chains of transmission within our communities. For further guidance regarding completing your EFORM, please follow the link provided: https://gov.wales/contact-tracing-completing-your-online-e-form.  

We urge everyone to complete the Eform and if you are having trouble accessing or filling out the form then please call 01639-686932, where one of the Tracing Team can assist you in its completion.

When completing the EFORM, include close contacts/friends telephone numbers when known.  If unknown, please continue to add close contact names and add unknown into details.

  • From Friday, 28th January 2022 the Self-isolation period in Wales for all those who test positive for Covid-19, including children, reduced from 7 full days to 5. The first full day of isolation is the day after the onset of symptoms or the day after a positive test if a person is asymptomatic. To reduce the risk of people leaving isolation while still infectious, people will be strongly advised to start taking lateral flow tests on day five and to remain in isolation until they have had two consecutive negative results, 24 hours apart. The earliest a person will be able to leave isolation, therefore, would be on day six after a second negative lateral flow test. 
  • Face coverings should continue to be worn by staff and visitors in all indoor areas of all settings, including classrooms, where physical distance cannot be maintained.
  • All staff are advised to continue take a LFT three times a week and report the results. You can report your results on gov.uk or by calling 119.
  • Keep washing hands regularly. This is still an important way to limit the spread of many infections, including COVID-19.
  • Primary Schools will send ‘Warn and Inform’ letters to parents when 2 or more cases of COVID-19 are reported in 7 days in a class. We urge you to follow the advice in these letters.
  • Carbon Dioxide (CO2) monitors have been distributed to our schools as an aid for the management of ventilation. Good ventilation can help reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19.