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B.C. parents told to have a ‘low threshold’ for keeping sick kids home from school

Any fever should result in child staying home from the classroom
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A student arrives at school as teachers dressed in red participate in a solidarity march to raise awareness about cases of COVID-19 at Ecole Woodward Hill Elementary School, in Surrey, B.C., on Tuesday, February 23, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

B.C.’s provincial health officer said that while it can be hard to distinguish a COVID-19 infection in children from another virus, parents should err on the side of caution and keep their children home.

“You know your kids,” Dr. Bonnie Henry said at a press conference Tuesday (Jan. 11), the first pandemic update since all kids returned to school the day before. Students returned to classrooms that will look much like they did before children left in December, with masks and daily health checks required but not cohorts. Staff and student assemblies and meetings will be held virtually due to the more infectious Omicron variant spreading rapidly in B.C. Parents will not be notified for every case, however. Instead, families will only be told if COVID-19 infections lead to a significant drop in attendance or a functional school or classroom closure.

However, parents need a “low threshold” for keeping their children home, Henry added, noting that parents should consider their kids exposure risks and what else is happening in their social circles.

A runny nose can be a sign of many things, she said, but that children with any sort of fever must stay home.

READ MORE: B.C. vaccine protection holding as Omicron spreads, Dr. Henry says

READ MORE: K-12 students head back to school in B.C. amid new COVID notification system


@katslepian

katya.slepian@bpdigital.ca

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