Photo Courtesy: ID 158564375 © Denis Prokofev | Dreamstime.com

By Veronica Beltran

when to stay home

Should you keep your child home from school?: A checklist

Oct 16, 2020 | 6:00 AM

PRINCE GEORGE—Not sure when your child should stay home this cold and flu season?—The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and Ministry of Health have a health checklist to help.

The daily checklist for students includes asking them (or yourself if you are a student) if you have any of the following symptoms: fever, chills, cough or worsening of chronic cough, shortness of breath, loss of sense of smell or taste, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.

Followed by asking if they/you have returned home from outside of the country in the past 14 days, and if you’re a confirmed contact of a person who fell ill to COVID-19.

Photo Courtesy: BCCDC and BC Ministry of Health

The BCCDC and B.C. Ministry of Health go on to say in their COVID-19 checklist PDF that if you’ve answered “yes” to any of the questions under “key symptoms of illness,”—excluding fever— you should stay home for 24 hours from when the symptoms started.

Eagles 4 Spruce Kings 1

Spruce Kings give up four unanswered in 4-1 defeat to Surrey

4h ago

Air Quality

Air quality statement issued for Vanderhoof-area

5h ago

Airport carjacking

Second carjacking in 5-month span raises concern for Prince George

21h ago

If symptoms improve than a return to school is okay, if not a health assessment should be conducted by a health professional.

If a person answers “yes” to two or more of the questions in the “Key Symptoms of Illness” category or you have a fever you are asked to seek a health assessment—such as calling 8-1-1 or contacting your primary care provider. If a health assessment is required the student should not return to school until COVID-19 has been ruled out.