Dear all

Below is a letter issued from Dr Robyn Dewis Director of Public Health Derby City Council.

It is in response to Derby families not following Covid 19 guidance by sending their children to school against isolation guidance.  Please read it carefully.

Dear Parents,

This is a very difficult time for us all as we enter our second national lockdown. If we follow the rules over the next few weeks, we can really reduce the spread of coronavirus in our City and help to protect our family and friends.

We are particularly grateful to our Schools, to our fantastic teaching staff who continue to work so hard to keep our children learning. This is so important for their mental and physical health as well as their learning and has been an enormous task. We are also grateful to all of you, who have shared the challenges of home schooling and cared for children being asked to self-isolate with the impact this has had on all our lives.

It is incredibly important that we continue to support our schools in the challenging months ahead. Importantly we must ensure that we follow the national guidelines on self-isolation as this is key to reducing the spread of the virus.

• If your child has coronavirus symptoms they must stay at home and get a test. The whole household must also stay at home until the test result is known. This means you should not leave the house for any reason.

• If the test is positive the child and the household must continue to stay at home.

• If a parent has symptoms their child should not come to school until the parent has been tested and the result is known. If the test is positive the whole household needs to continue to stay at home

There has been confusion about these rules over recent weeks. We have seen children being sent to school with symptoms, whilst waiting test results and after they or family members have received a positive test. This has led to many teachers and children being sent home from schools to self-isolate and risked spreading the virus. We have attached our quick guide to ensure that you have all the information you need. If you are unsure, please speak to your school to ask advice. If you are struggling to self-isolate there is support available from the Derby COVID Community Response Hub, please call 01332 640000.

I must also remind you that anyone with a positive test, or a household contact of those who have a positive test, is required by law to self-isolate. It is an offence not to follow these rules and anyone who chooses not to do this may face a fine.

The rules we will have to live by in December depend on how well we manage to reduce the spread of the virus during the next few weeks. Please continue to work with us and do the right thing for Derby.

Dr Robyn Dewis Director of Public Health Derby City Council