Dear parent/carer,
Your child has been identified by NHS Lanarkshire as a close contact of a person who has tested positive for Covid-19. Your child is now required to isolate for 10 days, the last day in isolation will be 18/06/2021 and he/she can therefore return to normal activities from the 19//06/2021 and school from 21/06/2021 as long as they do not have any symptoms.
Isolation is for your child as a close contact only, the other members of your household do not need to isolate or seek testing, unless they or anyone else in your household develop COVID-19 symptoms such as cough, fever or loss of taste or smell. If this is the case, they should arrange a test through www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test as soon as possible. All members of your household would then need to isolate until the result of the test is known.
What you now need to do?
As per current Scottish Government guidelines, as a close contact your child is advised to undertake a PCR Covid-19 test.
You should book your test 3 to 5 days after the date the contact was identified as having taken place.
If you can’t book your test between 3 and 5 days, just book it as soon as you possibly can.
If they are a close contact that has already tested positive in the past 90 days, they should not get tested.
You should visit www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test to arrange the test (or phone the National Testing Centre on 0300 303 2713, if you can’t access the test form online). Once on the website, follow these instructions to book a test for a contact who does not have symptoms:
• Scroll down to ‘Get a free PCR test online’ and click on ‘start now’
• Choose option for whether you (or person seeking test) are an essential worker
• Select ‘Continue’ on tests available page
• Select ‘No’ when asked ‘Does the person who needs a test have coronavirus symptoms?’
• Select ‘No’ when asked ‘Has the person been asked to get a follow-up test?’
• Select ‘No’ when asked if part of a trial or government pilot
• Select ‘I have been told by contact tracers to get a test’ when asked ‘Why are you asking for this test?’
• Then complete the details of the person to be tested and other required information
Whilst awaiting the result of the test, isolation continues to be just for your child as a close contact only, the other members of your household do not need to isolate or seek testing unless your child or anyone else in the household develops COVID-19 symptoms. If this is the case, they should arrange a test as soon as possible. All members of your household would then need to isolate until the result of the test is known.
If the result is negative: your child must continue to self-isolate until the date stated above. If they develop any Covid symptoms after their test, such as a cough, fever or loss of taste or smell, they should seek another test. It is important to emphasise that a negative test result for your child does not change the isolation dates above, as they could still be incubating the virus.
If the result is positive: You should inform the school as soon as possible and your whole household must isolate and seek testing.
Self-Isolation advice for your child (the contact):
It is very important that everyone in the household practices good hand hygiene and cough etiquette. This means:
It is also important to frequently clean surfaces that are regularly touched such as door handles, light switches and toilet flush with an anti-bacterial spray.
Additional support:
Self-Isolation Support Grant
Medical support:
If at any time you feel concerned about your health visit www.nhsinform.scot or you can call 0800 028 2816 for useful information about COVID related health concerns.
Call NHS 24 on 111 for advice or in case of life threatening emergency dial 999
Tell them you are a close contact of a COVID positive patient.
Your child has been identified by NHS Lanarkshire as a close contact of a person who has tested positive for Covid-19. Your child is now required to isolate for 10 days, the last day in isolation will be 18/06/2021 and he/she can therefore return to normal activities from the 19//06/2021 and school from 21/06/2021 as long as they do not have any symptoms.
Isolation is for your child as a close contact only, the other members of your household do not need to isolate or seek testing, unless they or anyone else in your household develop COVID-19 symptoms such as cough, fever or loss of taste or smell. If this is the case, they should arrange a test through www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test as soon as possible. All members of your household would then need to isolate until the result of the test is known.
What you now need to do?
As per current Scottish Government guidelines, as a close contact your child is advised to undertake a PCR Covid-19 test.
You should book your test 3 to 5 days after the date the contact was identified as having taken place.
If you can’t book your test between 3 and 5 days, just book it as soon as you possibly can.
If they are a close contact that has already tested positive in the past 90 days, they should not get tested.
You should visit www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test to arrange the test (or phone the National Testing Centre on 0300 303 2713, if you can’t access the test form online). Once on the website, follow these instructions to book a test for a contact who does not have symptoms:
• Scroll down to ‘Get a free PCR test online’ and click on ‘start now’
• Choose option for whether you (or person seeking test) are an essential worker
• Select ‘Continue’ on tests available page
• Select ‘No’ when asked ‘Does the person who needs a test have coronavirus symptoms?’
• Select ‘No’ when asked ‘Has the person been asked to get a follow-up test?’
• Select ‘No’ when asked if part of a trial or government pilot
• Select ‘I have been told by contact tracers to get a test’ when asked ‘Why are you asking for this test?’
• Then complete the details of the person to be tested and other required information
Whilst awaiting the result of the test, isolation continues to be just for your child as a close contact only, the other members of your household do not need to isolate or seek testing unless your child or anyone else in the household develops COVID-19 symptoms. If this is the case, they should arrange a test as soon as possible. All members of your household would then need to isolate until the result of the test is known.
If the result is negative: your child must continue to self-isolate until the date stated above. If they develop any Covid symptoms after their test, such as a cough, fever or loss of taste or smell, they should seek another test. It is important to emphasise that a negative test result for your child does not change the isolation dates above, as they could still be incubating the virus.
If the result is positive: You should inform the school as soon as possible and your whole household must isolate and seek testing.
Self-Isolation advice for your child (the contact):
- Your child should isolate as much as possible away from the rest of your household. We understand this will be difficult with younger children, so one parent/carer may choose to isolate with them or provide all care for the self-isolation period.
- Your child should wash their hands frequently and you may have to assist them with this.
- Your child should limit time in communal areas and stay in one room with windows open (if safe to do so) and door closed as much as possible. This is to prevent any spread to the rest of your household if your child develops COVID-19.
- Your child should use a separate bathroom if possible and use their own towel and toothbrush.
- Your child should eat alone or with one parent/carer rather than the whole family and have their own cutlery and plates which should be washed separately if hand-washing. If a dishwasher is used then you can wash all dishes together but place the dishwasher on at its highest temperature.
- Your child should not prepare food for anyone else in the house
- Keep your child’s laundry and waste separate. If your child develops symptoms, their waste (such as tissues and nappies) should be double bagged and kept for 72 hours before putting out for collection.
- Your child can use your garden if: you have NO shared path/walk way; your garden is NOT communal; they can stay a minimum of 2 metres from boundary/fence
It is very important that everyone in the household practices good hand hygiene and cough etiquette. This means:
- Wash hands more often than usual for at least 20 seconds paying particular attention to areas that can be easily missed such as thumbs, back of hands and palms. Use alcohol gel regularly but not to replace good hand washing with gel.
- If anyone develops a cough/sneeze they should cough/sneeze into a disposable tissue and immediately bin it. If a tissue is not available, cough in the crook (bend) of the elbow then immediately wash hands. Keep waste containing tissues separate, double bag it and wait 72 hours before adding it to other household waste.
It is also important to frequently clean surfaces that are regularly touched such as door handles, light switches and toilet flush with an anti-bacterial spray.
Additional support:
- Do you need any additional support whilst isolating?
- You can call the National Assistance Helpline 0800 111 4000 to discuss help you might need.
- Or contact NLC’s Support for People Helpline on 0300 555 0407, which is available Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm.
Self-Isolation Support Grant
- From 7th December the Scottish Government is giving a £500 Self Isolation Support grant if you are:
- The primary carer or parent of a child who has been asked to self-isolate by Test and Protect or the school AND
- You receive low income benefits AND
- You are employed or self-employed and will experience reduced earnings because you have to stay at home to look after your child.
- To apply for the grant, you must first notify NHS Lanarkshire. To do this, please email your child’s details (name, address, DOB, school and contact number) to Lan.contacttracing@nhs.scot as soon as possible. You can also call 01698 752952 and leave your details if email is not an option.
- If you wish to apply for the grant please check the arrangements for your own local authority or call the National Assistance Helpline 0800 111 4000.
Medical support:
If at any time you feel concerned about your health visit www.nhsinform.scot or you can call 0800 028 2816 for useful information about COVID related health concerns.
Call NHS 24 on 111 for advice or in case of life threatening emergency dial 999
Tell them you are a close contact of a COVID positive patient.
