Dear parents and carers

The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t over, case numbers are still high in the community. We are working closely with local schools to keep children safe and prevent more people from falling seriously ill.

Derby City Council’s campaign ‘Let’s do the right thing for Derby’ is calling for everyone across the city to consider the safety of all Derby communities and residents by ensuring we follow these important guidelines:

• Wearing a face covering in crowded or indoor settings (such as supermarkets) or on public transport and school buses.
• Keeping distance between themselves and people they wouldn’t normally come into contact with.
• Considering reducing the number of people your child mixes with outside school, especially for indoor clubs and activities.
• Regularly washing or sanitising their hands.
• Continuing to use rapid lateral flow tests (LFT) twice a week when they don’t have symptoms.

• If they get a positive LFT result or develop symptoms of COVID-19, self-isolating and booking a PCR test (this is the one that gets sent off to a lab) at a local testing site* or request a postal PCR test online or by calling 119.

*The availability of PCR test appointments on the online portal is controlled nationally. We have plenty of local slots available so if a local site doesn’t come up as an option immediately we suggest trying in an hour or so.

• Getting fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccination. Vaccines are safe, effective and evidence has shown they help to sever the link between transmission, hospitalisation and death.