Health Protocol

Health Protocol for Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

(2021-2022)

The following is the updated Health protocol for 2021-2022. These procedures are set in place to ensure the health and safety of all students, staff, and their families.

Health Procedures:

Do Not come to school if you or anyone in your household is not feeling well. Contact the school administration immediately to discuss Next Steps. If anyone in the household is not feeling well then, all siblings (brothers and sisters) at the school should not come to school regardless of which division they are in.

At the current time, anyone with "flu like" symptoms should assume they have COVID. That means isolating and contacting your doctor to arrange for testing and notifying the school right away.

If a student develops symptoms at school, he/she, and all siblings will be sent home. They will not be allowed to go home by bus.

Symptoms to look out for

Ø Fever

Ø Coughing, sneezing, Runny nose

Ø Chest pain, headache

Ø Recurrent vomiting, diarrhea

Ø Sore throat, painful swallowing

Ø Loss of sense of taste or smell

Ø Pink eye, Herpetic tongue (herpes on your tongue)

Ø Earache

Actions to take if you have symptoms(or a family member has symptoms)

1) Contact the school to discuss “Next Steps”

2) The case will be discussed with the school doctor then you will be asked for one or more of the following depending on the case:

· Blood Tests:CBC – CRP –S. Ferritin

· CT Chest

· PCR Test (in some cases a rapid test or ID Now test can be substituted for a PCR)

Results are to be sent via email to your administration office once you receive them.Theywill forward the results to school doctors and notify you whether you need further investigations,and they will determine an expected date of return to school. If a family member is ill, the doctors will ask for the tests of the family member before the student can return to school.

If you are exposed to someone who is COVID 19 positive

(If it is a member of your household, the results used to diagnose the case must be sent to the school.)

You must either:

-stay home for 14 days.

-submit blood tests taken on day 10 from date of exposure.

-submit a negative PCR taken on day 10 from date of exposure.

Results are to be sent via email to your administration office once you receive them. They will forward the results to the school doctors and notify you whether you need further investigations and then set an expected date of return to school.

If you are confirmed COVID 19 positive

The positive PCR or the blood tests used to diagnose the case must be sent to the school via email.

You must stay home for 10 days and return only if:

- You have not had fever for at least 3 days on days 8, 9 and 10. If you have a fever on any of these days, then you can only return when you haven’t had a fever for 3 consecutive days.

- During these 3 days you have not taken any fever reducing medications.

-It has been at least 10 days since your symptoms first started.

-You do not have any symptoms.

The school doctors will determine the return date. They may ask for additional tests as mentioned above, depending on the case.

Absence policy to be strictly enforced

a. Absence of one day: If the student was not sick and did not have any symptoms then no doctor’s note is needed. You must send an email informing the school for the reason the student was absent via email.

The school must be notified via email of the reason the student was absent. If a student will be absent because of sports, a family situation, travel…etc., then the school must be notified before the student is going to be absent to avoid being asked for blood tests or a PCR.

Students who are absent on a Thursday, a Sunday or before /after a long weekend must follow the absence policy in “b”.

b. Absence of 2 days: Student must submit a doctor’s certificate (from a specialized doctor in chest or pediatrics only). The doctor must write his/her diagnosis AND write the following sentence:

“The student is not contagious and is not suspected of having Covid and is cleared to return to school.”

The case will be discussed with the school doctor, and you may be asked for one or more of the following depending on the case:

· Blood Tests: CBC – CRP –S. Ferritin

· CT Chest

· PCR Test

Results are to be sent via email to your administration office once you receive them. They will forward the results to the school doctors and notify you whether you need further investigations and set an expected date of return to school.

c. Absence of more than 3 days:Students must submit the blood tests listed above and a doctor’s report, as mentioned above,via email to your administration office.

The school doctor will review the report and blood test results and determine a return date and whether further tests are required.

We thank you for your cooperation to help us ensure the health and safety of the MES community.