The government has released new guidelines for Covid positive and contact cases in schools in an effort to reduce absenteeism and disruptions to families in the Principality.
The new school protocol, announced by the government early Saturday, will come into effect on the first day of school, Monday 21st February.
In low-risk cases, classmates of a student who is positive for Covid-19 are also no longer required to stay away from school until they are confirmed positive or negative. If the student refuses a Covid test, however, they must remain isolated for seven days.
In the event of a positive test, the student must self-isolate at home for seven days. They can return to the classroom if they experience no symptoms for 48 hours.
In the situation of a high-risk contact case, the student will not be allowed to come to school and must take a test. If they refuse, they must self-isolate for seven days.
If the test is positive, the contact case will have to stay away for seven days unless. They can return to the classroom if they experience no symptoms for 48 hours.
If the test is negative, the contact case may return to school but must respect social distancing rules for 12 days and have their temperature taken twice a day.
In general, when a parent notices that their child has symptoms of Covid-19, they are asked not to send them to school and to consult a doctor who will indicate the procedure to follow.
“The Prince’s Government is adapting the system according to health developments in order to guarantee face-to-face lessons as much as possible for all school levels in the interest of the quality of education,” it said in a statement.
NOTE: This article originally read that a positive student could return to the classroom if no symptoms were experienced for 48 hours. It was edited when the government readjusted and clarified its statement.
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