 With childcare settings now reopen following the summer break, we want to make sure you have all the latest guidance from Welsh Government regarding the coronavirus pandemic, specifically relating to childcare settings.
Please click the links below for the latest Welsh Government guidance.
Symptomatic staff and children
Anyone who is experiencing one or more of the three main COVID-19 symptoms (new persistent cough, fever and/or loss of taste or smell) must continue to follow the NHS Wales Test, Trace, Protect guidance on testing and isolation and self-isolate with their household whilst they await the PCR test result.
Testing is also being made available in some areas for those experiencing a wider range of symptoms, such as fatigue, muscle ache or pain, a sore throat, a headache, a runny nose, nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea. Anyone who is tested because of these other wider symptoms is not required to self-isolate while they await their PCR test result. This includes children who can continue to attend their childcare setting while they await a test result. They will need to self-isolate if the test result is positive. However, children and adults with diarrhoea and/or vomiting should not attend the setting until they are symptom-free for 48 hours, even if their PCR test result is negative.
Exemptions from self-isolation
If you are contacted by NHS Wales Test, Trace, Protect (TTP) because you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and you were fully vaccinated at the time of your contact with the infected person, you do not need to self-isolate.
You are considered to be fully vaccinated, if it is at least 14 full days since you had the full course of an approved vaccine, and it was administered in the UK.
If you have not completed your vaccination course (usually two separate vaccinations), at least 14 full days prior to close contact, or if you received your vaccination outside of the UK, you will be required to self-isolate if contacted by TTP.
School/nursery staff who have been identified as close contacts of an infected person and have not been fully vaccinated should be excluded from the setting and will be required to self-isolate for 10 days from the date of last exposure. If you are unsure of the vaccination status for any staff member, they should be excluded from the setting until they have been released by TTP. It may therefore be prudent to establish which staff are fully vaccinated and obtain confirmation of this for your records.
Close contacts will be asked to obtain PCR tests on day 2 (or as soon as possible following contact) and again on day 8. This will help ensure any asymptomatic cases are identified and required to self-isolate. For any contacts, even though they do not have to isolate, you should be vigilant for any signs of infection and ensure good hygiene measures such as hand washing etc. are maintained and infection control measures implemented.
A close contact is anyone that has been in contact with someone who has coronavirus, specifically:
- someone you have had face to face contact with at a distance of less than 1 metre,
- had skin-to-skin physical contact with, or
- that has coughed on you, or you had other forms of contact with them within 1 metre for 1 minute or longer
- someone that you have spent more than 15 minutes within two metres of them
- someone that you have travelled in a car or other small vehicle with, or someone you have been in close proximity to on public transport
If you have any queries or concerns, please contact Environmental Health via email to communicabledisease@caerphilly.gov.uk this is manned 7 days a week 9.30am – 5pm.
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