Since the withdrawal of free testing, on 1st April, the guidelines have been changed regarding the amount of time children need to be off school, should they test positive for Covid-19. If they do not have a temperature or other debilitating symptoms, they can return to school after only three days.
Also, vaccinations are available now for children over the age of five:
Vaccination offer expands to all children aged 5-11
The COVID-19 vaccination programme, the biggest vaccination effort in the nation’s history, will expand to include all children aged 5-11 in April. Previously only children who were in an at-risk group were eligible for the vaccination.
Parents who would like to have their child receive the vaccination will be able to book vaccination appointments online via www.nhs.uk/covidvaccine, or by calling 119, from early April onwards (we believe this will be the 2nd April). Children who are not in an at-risk group will need to wait 12 weeks between their first and second dose.
Children who recently had COVID-19 will need to wait to have the vaccination for 12 weeks after their symptoms started, or 12 weeks after the day of their positive test if they were not symptomatic.
Parents who would like to find out more about the vaccination for children aged 5-11 can find a range of resources via GOV.UK here.