An Oifig

COVID-19 Advice for parents 

Symptoms to look out for and when to contact your GP Schools are back and the winter season is ahead of us. Every year, schoolchildren get colds, flu and other infections. This time, coronavirus (COVID-19) is with us. 

Here is a guide on what symptoms to look out for and what to do if your child is unwell. 

When to keep your child at home and phone your GP 

Do not send your child to school or childcare if any of the following is true. 

Your child has: 

• a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or more 
• any other common symptoms of coronavirus such as a new cough, loss or changed sense of taste or smell, or shortness of breath 
• been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus 
• been living with someone who is unwell and may have coronavirus 

You will need to: 1. Isolate your child. This means keeping them at home and completely avoiding contact with other people, as much as possible. Your child should only leave your home to have a test or to see your GP. 2. Phone your GP. They will advise you if your child needs a coronavirus test. 3. Everyone that your child lives with should also restrict their movements, at least until your child 

gets a diagnosis from their GP or a coronavirus test result. This means not going to school, childcare or work. 4. Treat your child at home for their symptoms. 

When it’s okay to send your child to school or childcare 

It’s usually okay to send your child to school or childcare if they: 

• only have nasal symptoms, such as a runny nose or a sneeze 
• do not have a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or more (as long as their temperature has not been lowered by taking any form of paracetamol or ibuprofen) 
• do not have a cough 
• have not been in close contact with anyone who has coronavirus 
• do not live with anyone who is unwell and may have coronavirus 
• have been told by a GP that their illness is caused by something else, that is not coronavirus. Your GP will tell you when they can return to school or childcare 
• have got a negative (‘not detected’) coronavirus test result and have not had symptoms for 48 hours 

Most of the time, you do not need to phone your GP if a runny nose or sneezing are your child’s only symptoms. Talk to your pharmacist instead. 

Preventing the spread of illness 

Help children to understand and to follow this advice: 

Don’t share food at lunch or other times 

Flu vaccine 

This year, all children aged 2 to 12 years will be offered the children’s nasal flu vaccine free of charge. See hse.ie/flu Wash their hands 

Don’t share regularly 

toys 

More information 

Go to hse.ie/coronavirus for more information. This includes advice on the following: 

• protecting your child from coronavirus 
• if your child has symptoms of coronavirus 
• getting urgent medical advice if your child is very unwell 
• children with underlying health conditions 
• explaining coronavirus to your child 
• how your child should wash their hands 
• caring for a child isolating and self-isolation 
• treating coronavirus symptoms at home 
• bringing your child to a test centre and test results 

For updates visit 

www.gov.ie/health-covid-19 www.hse.ie 

Published: August 2020 

Use tissues or elbows to cover their coughs and sneezes 

Keep their distance from people who are sneezing or coughing 

Ireland’s public health advice is guided by WHO and ECDC advice

An Roinn Sláinte Department of Health Office of the Chief Medical Officer 

31/08/2020 

Open letter from Acting Chief Medical Officer to parents & guardians of school 

children and to teachers and affiliated school staff 

To parents and guardians of school children in Ireland, 

I am very aware that many of you are worried about the reopening of schools and the associated risk of COVID–19 for your children. This concern is natural and is to be fully expected after a period of six months during which we have all had to adapt to the challenges posed by COVID–19. 

The decision to reopen schools has not been taken lightly and has been based on guidance produced by international bodies including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC); scientific evidence regarding the risk of COVID–19 in school children and staff; the experience of other countries that have not closed, or have reopened, their schools; our own experience having reopened childcare settings and summer camps since June; and evidence regarding the importance of school for the overall health and wellbeing of children. 

International evidence shows us that child–to–child and child–to–adult transmission of COVID–19 in schools is uncommon. In addition, our own experience to date in Ireland, and indeed that reported internationally, demonstrates that for the overwhelming majority of children who are diagnosed with COVID–19, their symptoms will be mild. 

The importance of schools for the overall health and wellbeing of children cannot be overstated, and the risk of COVID–19 has been carefully weighed against the very real harm that can be caused by sustained school closures. Schools play a fundamental role in the social life of children; they are where children are educated, make friends, share interests, learn social skills like self–confidence and empathy, and participate in sport and cultural activities. 

Of course, as we continue to navigate our way through this pandemic, there are no zero risk options for reopening schools or indeed any other environment; the aim, therefore, is to reopen in as safe a way as possible by ensuring that all appropriate public health measures such as physical distancing, hand washing and respiratory hygiene are implemented where appropriate. 

Bloc 1, Plaza Míseach, 50 – 58 Sráid Bhagóid lochtarach, Baile Átha Cliath 2, DO2 XW14 Block 1, Miesian Plaza, 50 – 58 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2, D02 XW14 www.health.gov.ie | info@health.gov.ie 

Schools are at the heart of our communities and the best way to protect them is to keep the level of COVID–19 in the community low. As parents and guardians, you can play a key role in this, both through your own actions and through the influence that you have on your family and friends. If all of us continue to make small changes to the way we live, we can – together – starve this virus of opportunities to transmit. 

While it is okay to send your child to school or childcare if they only have a runny nose or a sneeze, if you have any concerns that your child has symptoms of COVID–19 – fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell – then please keep them at home until you have spoken with your GP by phone. Lots more information is available at gov.ie/backtoschool and hse.ie. 

There will be cases of COVID–19 among children over the coming days and weeks, as there have been throughout this pandemic to date. But when this happens our public health teams in the HSE will respond and liaise closely with the school involved and ensure that all necessary measures are taken to protect other students and school staff. 

Finally, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for all you have done to keep your family and our communities safe over the past seven months. I also want to thank all teachers, principals and school staff who have worked so hard to ensure that our schools are ready to reopen – it is just one more example of the incredible solidarity that has defined the way in which people all across the country have come together to play their part in getting us through this pandemic. 

Dr. Ronan Glynn 

Acting Chief Medical Officer 

IMC 343604

6^th August 2020

Dear Parent / Guardian

RE: Re-opening of CBS Primary Dundalk

I hope you and your families are keeping well.

As you are aware, our school has now been closed since 12^th March due to the COVID-19 situation.  We are now hoping to re-open our school safely, in line with current guidance and recommendations.

Re-opening the school safely will require the co-operation of all members of our School Community – BoM, School Leadership, Staff, Parents and Pupils. We will all be called on to play our part in ensuring that re-opening of the school is done in a safe manner which prevents the spread of the virus and allows the vital work of Teaching and Learning to proceed with as little disruption as possible.

We have been working on our plan for the safe reopening of the school for some weeks now and have added the links below to the  DES COVID-19 Response Plan for the safe and sustainable reopening of Primary and Special Schools on our school website.  The Response Plan gives details of

• Physical preparation, signage, hand sanitiser stations,
• Advice, procedures and training for the safe return to working in the school for all school staff and pupils
• General and specific advice on how all pupils, staff, parents and visitors will prevent the spread of the virus

We will soon publish our COVID-19 Policy Statement on the school website. Our BoM will keep you informed as to the progress of our re-opening plans and provide you with the information required by you to play your part in safely re-opening the school.

We are really looking forward to welcoming our children back to school and will be doing all that we can to ensure that the return to school is a safe and enjoyable experience for the children. We will be in touch with you again before school re-opens.

Le meas

___Deirdre Kerr____                                                    ___Patricia Mc Keever

  Cathaoirleach, An Bhóird Bainistíochta                                  Príomhoide

The following websites provide further information on COVID-19 and on government advice and recommendations regarding the re-opening of schools: –

• https://www.education.ie/en/covid-19/
• https://www2.hse.ie/coronavirus/
• https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/a128d-back-to-school/?referrer=http://www.gov.ie/backtoschool/