Coronavirus Letter - 27th February 2020
Dear Parents/Carers,
Coronavirus – Advice for all early years providers, schools and further education providers
Challock Primary School and the schools of The CARE Foundation Trust have an overall duty of care in respect of the health and well-being of all our children, staff and wider community. We constantly review this and exercise this duty very seriously. Therefore, we are closely following all guidelines shared by Public Health England, the Foreign Office and the Department for Education in relation to the Coronavirus/COVID-19. However, as I am sure you are aware, guidance is changing on a daily basis and so the Trust and our individual schools will keep the situation under close review and will advise you promptly of any changes to this guidance.
Guidance we have received from the DFE and PHE most recently is as follows:
Advice for those who have travelled recently
The Chief Medical Advisor for England, Chris Whitty updated advice for travellers returning from the UK from specific areas affected by COVID-19, which you can find at:
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
If you have returned from the following specific areas since 19th February, you should call NHS 111 and stay indoors and avoid contact with other people even if you do not have symptoms:
- Iran
- Specific lockdown areas in Northern Italy
- Special care zones in South Korea
- Hubei province (returned in the past 14 days)
If you have returned from the following areas since 19th February and develop symptoms, however mild, you should stay indoors at home and avoid contact with other people immediately and call NHS 111:
- Northern Italy (defined by a line above, and not including, Pisa, Florence, Rimini)
- Vietnam
- Cambodia
- Laos
- Myanmar
If you have a cough, or fever or shortness of breath and have visited any of the following areas in the last 14 days, stay indoors and call NHS 111 informing them of your recent travel:
- China, apart from Hubei province
- Thailand
- Japan
- Republic of Korea, apart from special care zones
- Hong Kong
- Taiwan
- Singapore
- Malaysia
- Macau
The guidance currently given for the above countries very clearly states:
If you or your child is well:
- You can continue to attend work or education
- You do not need to avoid contact with other people
- Your family do not need to take any precautions or make any changes to their own activities, they are advised to self-isolate only if they develop symptoms
Schools have also been provided with guidance about caring for the community and guidance from Public Health England are steps everyone should be taking.
Prevent the spread of any infection – Make sure you and your children follow these general principles to prevent spreading any respiratory virus:
- Wash your hands often- with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or an alcohol based sanitiser if soap and water aren’t available
- Avoid touching your hands, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
- If you feel unwell, stay at home and don’t attend school or work
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the bin
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces in the home
- If you’re worried about your symptoms, please call NHS 111 – don’t go directly to your GP or other healthcare environment
We will obviously also be promoting all of these principles at school.
Updated guidance for educational settings can be found via this link:
The website is being updated whenever the advice changes, and will be regarded as the definitive guide on what to do.
We will obviously keep you updated when we receive any new guidance or information.
Kindest regards,
Sue Sweet
Headteacher