Return to school guidance from HSE Public Health
Carbury School will reopen on Thursday, 6th January. It is essential that we follow the guidance from the HSE in order to keep our school community safe. We have received the following information from Dr. John Cuddihy, Acting HSE National Clinical Director of Health Protection:
As schools reopen in 2022, it is important that we continue and renew our focus on the public health measures that will help our school community to stay as safe as possible during the coming year.
Infection prevention and Control Measures:
1) Before attending school:
Symptoms – Children cannot attend school if they have any symptoms of Covid-19 infection.
Symptom profiles are available (https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/covid19/symptoms/overview/) and we advise parents to take a precautionary approach, particularly for children less able to articulate their symptoms, that if a child appears unwell, observe them at home and contact their GP as appropriate.
Close contacts – If you have been told by the HSE services that they are a close contact of a case of Covid-19, you need to adhere to the advice on the HSE website in relation to restricted movements and testing. Children under 13 years who are household close contacts must restrict their movements for 14 days and they are offered PCR testing at day 0 and day 10. On receipt of a day 10 not-detected PCR test result, they may exit restricted movements.
It is important that anyone who has been identified as a close contact, is very aware of COVID-19 symptoms, and isolate and undergo testing should they develop any symptoms.
2) Re-enforcing general public health messages
In addition to ensuring that children do not attend school if they have any symptoms of Covid-19 infection, please remember the importance of abiding by the national public health measures currently in place at all times e.g. vaccination (including boosters), social distancing, use of face masks, hand hygiene, ventilation and minimising social contacts.
Further information can be found at:
https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/guidance/
https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/covid19/
For education specific guidance, please see:
