Can a child with a cough go to school after receiving a negative test? What if I don’t have tests at home? Can the little brother go to school if his big sister has symptoms? The confusion is total in the ranks of the parents, who are trying to disentangle themselves in the “clutter” represented by the instructions transmitted during the return to class.
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“I can’t find myself there at all. We go there day by day and we improvise,” says Anne-Marie Gagnon, mother of children aged 2 and 10, who lives in Quebec. The instructions she received from the daycare are “pretty clear”, but for the school, “it’s a whole different story”, she says.
“It’s very vague, there are still a lot of unanswered questions,” says this mother who works in public relations and considers herself well informed, in general.
The “Madhouse”
At the Federation of Parents’ Committees of Quebec, we confirm that the confusion is total. “It’s a mess,” says its president, Kévin Roy. With the return to class, Quebec asked parents to be understanding “but for that, we need information that parents can understand,” he adds.
However, the way of transmitting the instructions varies from one region to another. In Montreal, parents were given a “management algorithm” in the event of symptoms or a positive result, a diagram made up of about twenty boxes and arrows. On social networks, many referred to the “madhouse” on Wednesday.
Courtesy illustration
In Montreal, parents received a “management algorithm” which they compare to the “madhouse”.
In Quebec, parents have received “simplified instructions” which span two pages and which are also confusing, according to many.
To help parents see things more clearly, The newspaper has concocted a practical guide (see below).
the directions are difficult to understand
In the school network, school principals also have difficulty finding their way around. “The parents are all mixed up and we have to manage that. We have to explain what we have difficulty understanding ourselves, ”drops Carl Ouellet, president of the Quebec Association of School Management Staff (AQPDE).
Mr. Ouellet regrets that these directives have not been explained publicly and calls for an intervention from the Minister of Education, Jean-François Roberge. “I think the minister needs to come out so that we know where we are going in the school environment,” he says.
In Minister Roberge’s office, we recognize that there are “problems of understanding” since schools and service centers have not all received the same instructions, indicates his press officer, Florent Tanlet.
“We asked the National Public Health Department to clarify all this with the regional public health departments,” he says.
At the Ministry of Health, it is said to have provided “communication tools” to the regional public health directorates as well as to the Ministry of Education, which decide whether or not to use them afterwards.
However, the instructions transmitted in these tools seem incomplete since it is not specified, in particular, that all family members must isolate themselves when a child has symptoms.
Practical guide to get there
What should I do if my child has symptoms similar to COVID-19?
What are the main symptoms?
- Fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach ache, headache, etc.
When can my child go to school?
- The child can go to school if he has only one mild symptom (eg runny nose).
When should my child stay home?
- The child must stay home as soon as he has a fever or if he has two symptoms related to COVID-19.
What if I have rapid tests at home?
- I’m giving him a quick test.
- If the result is negative, I still keep my child at home. He will be able to return to class only after receiving a second negative result 24 hours later.
During this isolation, all family members must also stay at home.
- If the result is positive, the child must stay at least five days in isolation at home.
During this isolation, all family members must also stay at home.
What if I don’t have rapid tests at home?
- The child is considered positive. He must stay at least five days in isolation at home.
During this isolation, all family members must also stay at home.
When can my child who has contracted COVID-19 return to class?
Child under 12 years old:
- He can return to class after five days of isolation if he has not had a fever for 24 hours and has tested negative on a rapid test on the fifth day of the isolation period.
- If he tests positive on the fifth day, or in the absence of rapid tests, his isolation period is extended up to 10 days.
Child 12 years and over adequately vaccinated:
- He can return to class after five days of isolation if he has not had a fever for 24 hours.
Child 12 years and older not vaccinated:
- He can return to class after 10 days of isolation.
* In all cases, isolation from other family members ends only when the child can return to class.
Sources: Ministry of Health, CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale and CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal