Schoolchildren who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should stay home and get tested. Once that test confirms infection, the child must isolate for at least 10 days, Guyana’s Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony said today. His comment comes on the heels of several schools reopening yesterday amid Omicron concerns.
“If your child is experiencing symptoms, the child should stay home, get a test done and if that child is confirmed as positive, then that child should isolate for at least 10 days. If after the test the child is negative, then the child can go back to school. So, if there are any flu-like symptoms that that child is experiencing, then the next step is to ensure that the child is tested,” Minister Anthony said.
Asked if it is safe to send a child to school even if someone at home is at risk of COVID-19, the Minister replied: “Well, the household will have to take the necessary precautions, because children have been out of school for more than a year and there is now a big deficit in learning. Although we try online education, many kids prefer to have schooling in person…Not only in Guyana, but many other places it the world, we would have [sic] seen this deficit in learning. So, we have to bring a balance.”
Some 485 new cases have been recorded within the last 24 hours.
