Children with a runny nose should stay at home says OMT

Children between the ages of four and twelve attending primary education must stay home from Monday if they have coronavirus symptoms. They will not be able to rejoin in-person lessons until they get tested. This is stated in the advice amended on Friday by the Outbreak Management Team (OMT).

The advice for children has thus been aligned with that for older children in secondary education and adults. The reason for the OMT to adjust the advice is the reopening of the schools next Monday.

Parents should keep their children at home and have their children tested when they show the known corona symptoms (cough, soreness, loss of smell) or cold symptoms (runny nose, sneezing, and a sore throat). Children are allowed to go to school and childcare if they occasionally cough or have known chronic respiratory complaints, asthma, or hay fever, as long as they don't show signs of fever and / or shortness of breath. While waiting for the test result, children should stay at home, even if a housemate is infected or shows symptoms of the virus.

Children aged up to four are still allowed to go to daycare with mild complaints. However, they must - equally to the older children - stay at home if the symptoms worsen or if they are waiting for a test result.

A child can go back to childcare or primary school when it is completely free of symptoms for 24 hours. Children who still have the same mild symptoms after a week can also go back to school again.

The Council for Primary Education reports on Friday that it will adjust the protocols as soon as possible in response to the amended OMT advice. In adapting this advice, the OMT has looked at the current situation of the coronavirus in the Netherlands, the emerging corona variants, and the recent large-scale investigation in the municipality of Lansingerland.

On Monday, primary schools will open their doors for the first time this year. In any case, secondary education will remain closed until March 1.