Do, Heijna and Sarka, among others, asked us when children can go to school and when not. Especially now that autumn is approaching, it will regularly be a dilemma for parents: should I keep my child at home or not?
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The RIVM has a number of guidelines drawn up for children, but does make a distinction between young children (0 to 4 and groups 1 and 2) and older children (up to 12 years). The youngest group does not have to stay at home with a cold, unless they have been in contact with someone who has the corona virus, or if someone in the household has a fever or shortness of breath.
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Young children also usually do not need to be tested for mild complaints, because they are quite often ill and it is very stressful for children. There are, however, a few exceptions.
They must be tested:
- In an outbreak investigation
- If children have different complaints that are compatible with corona
- If they have been in contact with someone who has the virus
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Stricter guidelines for older children
The guidelines are somewhat stricter for children in groups 3 to 8. They do have to stay at home in case of complaints, including a nasal cold. If there are complaints that recur regularly, such as hay fever or a chronic condition, an exception applies. “Because if you have hay fever every year, you know what it feels like”, says a spokesman for the RIVM.
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The guidelines of the RIVM at a glance
- With mild complaints, such as a cold, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, slight cough or an increase to 38 degrees and / or sudden loss of smell or taste: have yourself tested and stay at home until the results of the test are known (this does not apply to children up to and including group 2)
- Everyone in the household stays at home in case of fever or shortness of breath
- If someone in the household has tested positive for Covid-19, everyone in the household will stay at home. Do you get complaints? Then you get tested
- If you return from a Covid-19 risk area, children up to the age of 12 do not need to be quarantined. They do have to stay at home if they get complaints
To make things easier for parents, a ‘decision tree’ has been created. On the basis of this, parents can use a few questions to find out whether their child should stay at home. You can find the questions for young children here and for older children here.
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According to the RIVM, the difference in age is mainly due to the fact that children up to and including group 2 fall ill much more often than older children. “Younger children are exposed for the first time to all kinds of viruses. They take everything with them and are very often cold. Then you should test every day,” said a spokesman. “When children are a little older, it normalizes somewhat.”
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Older children get sick less often, so the guidelines could be a bit stricter for them, is the idea. “Of course it is not suddenly over when they turn six and they are never sick again; there is a course in it. But you have to give a practical handle.”
A deliberate choice was made to draw the line for a certain group and not for a certain age, otherwise different guidelines could be obtained within one class.
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