Northamptonshire parents warned: don't send your kids to school if the have Covid symptoms

Education chiefs parents to keep their youngsters in isolation until test is confirmed as negative
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Education chiefs are appealing to parents: Don't send your kids to school if they have coronavirus symptoms.

Shocked teachers have revealed some youngsters have turned up in class after having a swab to confirm the presence of the virus — but BEFORE they had been given the all clear.

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Around 93 per cent of the county's secondary school students and 73 per cent of primaries will be start returning to their classrooms from Monday (March 8) after two months learning at home.

They will join the children of key workers who have carried on learning in school in taking twice-weekly Covid tests in an attempt to avoid any spike in cases resulting from the first step in easing of lockdown restrictions.

Paul Andrews, the Covid cell lead at Northamptonshire s education department, said: "Last term there were a number of reports of parents sending children to school when they were symptomatic — even on occasions when they'd had a test and were waiting for the test result.

"The whole point of the asymptomatic testing process being undertaken by schools is to keep infections out school.

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"If you've got a child with symptoms, please get them tested but then keep them out of school up until the point they have a negative test result."

Northamptonshire teachers were shocked to fine students sent to school despite having coronavirus symptoms last termNorthamptonshire teachers were shocked to fine students sent to school despite having coronavirus symptoms last term
Northamptonshire teachers were shocked to fine students sent to school despite having coronavirus symptoms last term

Secondary schools across the county will use lateral flow devices to test students and staff safe as classrooms fully reopen from tomorrow (Monday).

Other measures including increased ventilation and more mask-wearing where social distancing is not possible are also to be employed in an effort to avoid a spike in cases following easing of lockdown restrictions.

Anyone with symptoms of coronavirus — a new, continuous cough, high temperature and a loss of change in sense of smell — should book a test immediately and self-isolate until the result is known.

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■ Tests can be booked via the Government website HERE or by calling 119.

Parents are also being urged to avoid mixing at school gates and not to share rides.

Mr Andrews added: "As a community if we want to see children people back in school and have our freedoms restored, now is not the time to relax.

"We need to stay the course, keep social distancing and stick to the rules otherwise we run the real risk of not being able to follow the Government roadmap at the speed we would like.

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