The HSE has clarified the Covid symptoms that parents should be aware of when trying to decide if a child is safe to be sent to school.
A controversial rule change earlier in September meant that Covid-19 contact tracing has now stopped in childcare and primary schools in Ireland.
Chldren aged 12 or under, who are identified as close contacts in childcare and educational settings or other non-household settings and who are asymptomatic will no longer be required to routinely restrict movements.
But the advice still stands that if your child displays any symptoms of Covid-19, they should be kept out of school and told to isolate.
Here is what the HSE's latest rules are:
- If your child has any symptoms of Covid-19 (coronavirus), keep them at home and get a Covid-19 PCR test.
The most common symptoms of Covid-19 are:
- fever (high temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or more)
- dry cough
- fatigue (tiredness)
Less common symptoms include:
- loss or changed sense of taste or smell
- blocked nose
- conjunctivitis (red or pink eye)
- sore throat
- headache
- muscle or joint pain (aches and pains)
- skin rash
- nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea
- chills or dizziness
Your child may not have all of these symptoms.
Symptoms may vary for different age groups or variants of the virus, and it can take up to 14 days for symptoms to show.
Even if your child's symptoms are very mild, the HSE advice is to keep them at home for 48 hours and phone your GP for advice.
There has been a surge in school outbreaks in the latest figures confirmed by health officials.
The statistics were released by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) on Wednesday morning.
They show that a total of 90 outbreaks were notified in the seven days to last Saturday, resulting in 412 Covid-19 cases.
