CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - 16.03.20

• staff, young people and children should stay at home if they are unwell with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature to avoid spreading infection to others. Otherwise they should attend education or work as normal
• if staff, young people or children become unwell on site with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature they will be sent home
• regularly touched objects and surfaces will be clean and disinfected more often than usual using standard cleaning products
• children will be supervised to ensure they wash their hands for 20 seconds more often than usual with soap and water or hand sanitiser and will be reminded to catch coughs and sneezes in tissues.

The current advice remains in place: no education or children’s social care setting should close in response to a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case unless advised to do so by Public Health England.

The Chief Medical Officer has advised that the impact of closing schools on both children’s education and on the workforce would be substantial, but the benefit to public health may not be. Decisions on future advice to education or children’s social care settings will be taken based on the latest and best scientific evidence, which at this stage suggests children are a lower risk group.