BREAKING: Changes coming to COVID-19 screening in Mississauga schools

 

In order to curb COVID-19 spread in schools in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon, Peel Public Health is making changes to screening protocols. 

Peel’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Lawrence Loh, just announced that starting Monday, Dec. 7, 2020, all children with at least one symptom of COVID-19—including very mild symptoms—must stay home and self-isolate. Testing is recommended for symptomatic students. 

Household members, including siblings, also must self-isolate while the symptomatic child is awaiting test results.

“This will catch COVID-19 infections even sooner and help keep schools and child care open for all children,” Loh said in a letter to parents. 

Parents are advised to follow these steps:

1. Screen your children every day for these symptoms:

• Fever and/or chills (?37.8 degrees Celsius/100 degrees Fahrenheit)
• Cough or barking cough (croup)
• Shortness of breath
• Decreased or loss of taste/smell
• Sore throat or difficulty swallowing
• Runny nose or stuffy/congested nose
• Unusual or long-lasting headache
• Nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea
• Unusual or extreme tiredness or muscle aches

If your child attends a licensed child care setting, please follow the screening procedure of your child care provider.

2. Take your child to a testing site or assessment centre to get tested for COVID- 19 if they have any new or worsening symptom. 

Without a COVID-19 test, your child must isolate for 10 days after their symptom(s) started.

3. All people in your home must stay home from work, school and child care until:

• The child’s test results return and are negative, or
• A health care provider has identified another reason for your child’s symptoms, or
• 14 days have passed since the last exposure to the child who was not tested

There are no changes to screening for school and child care staff, licensed home child care providers and their household members and essential visitors (where appropriate).

To learn more, click here. 

Editor’s note: This article has been updated from its original version to reflect new information from Peel Public Health.