Here are the latest guidelines regarding Covid-19 and school-aged children.
Keeping you and your kids safe while navigating school, the office, errands and travel can feel a little confusing, especially when rules seem to be changing with regards to symptoms, testing and quarantining. Our Berkeley and Oakland, CA, pediatricians Dr. Robin Winokur, Dr. Elizabeth Salsburg and Dr. Nanci Tucker want to provide you with the latest CDC guidelines for Covid-19 prevention in school-age kids.
Knowing When to Stay Home
It’s important to know when to keep the kiddos home from school. If your child has been exposed, you must stay away from others and quarantine for five days (with the first full day beginning after you came in contact with someone with covid-19). Mask up, even if you’re at home. If your child has symptoms of Covid-19, it’s also essential that they stay home from school. Your child’s school may offer virtual learning options to keep on top of their work without exposing other kids.
My Child Tested Positive. Now What?
While some schools offer coronavirus testing, many parents turn to our Berkeley and Oakland, CA, pediatricians for Covid-19 testing for their kids and teens. If your child does test positive, it’s essential that you contact their school right away so they can perform contact tracing and alert kids and their parents who may have also been exposed. Children should isolate for five days after testing positive.
If they develop symptoms, they must isolate themselves for another five days from when their symptoms first begin. Check the CDC to get more detailed information about isolation for kids, teens and the whole family.
Get Kids Vaccinated
While we’re grateful for the ease and benefits of remote learning, we also know that kids often learn best in the classroom. Of course, to keep in-person learning a possibility, we need to ensure that everyone is doing their part to get vaccinated. The CDC recommends that kids five years old and older get vaccinated for Covid-19 and that kids over 12 years old should also get the booster.
If you have questions about Covid-19 and your child, our Berkeley and Oakland CA, pediatricians are here to answer your questions and provide you and your family with peace of mind. Whether you have questions or need to get your child tested, call Kiwi Pediatrics at (510) 652-1720 or (510) 524-9400. Covid-19 Protocol Guide!