Covid-19: Advice from Public Health England

Date: 15 December 2021

Dear Parent/ Carer,

As we reach the end of term, we want to thank you again for all your support during such a challenging time. Hopefully, all our children, young people, families and staff will have a great break. As you will be aware, cases of COVID-19 are rising across the country, including in Oldham. We are also seeing cases of the new variant, Omicron.

All contacts of COVID-19 cases are now being advised to carry out rapid COVID tests (also know as LFD tests) for seven days. This ensures that individuals who have caught COVID are identified quickly and will stop the spread through our communities.

As we have seen an increase in cases within our school staff, children and young people, as a precautionary measure, we are recommending all pupils and staff take daily LFD tests for 7 days following the end of the school term. This will help quickly identify whether pupils or staff have contracted COVID-19 and will help to keep our families safe over the festive break.

You can collect LFD tests from many places in Oldham as well as having them delivered to your house. Please follow this link to see where you can obtain a test

https://www.oldham.gov.uk/info/201170/coronavirus/2557/get_a_coronavirus_test/2 or order tests for home delivery here: https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests

If an LFD Test result is positive, you must isolate for 10 days and should take a confirmatory PCR test which can be booked via https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119. Close contacts of your child must also then isolate and take a daily lateral flow test for 7 days. If the LFD Test result is negative, you and other members of your household can continue normal activities. Children aged under 5 years old are not advised to take daily LFD Tests.

If at any point you develop symptoms or feel unwell, please book a PCR test even if you have had a negative LFD Test

If a person is asked to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace and is on a low income, unable to work from home and will lose income as a result, they may be entitled to a payment of £500 from their local authority under the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme. Further details are available via: https://www.gov.uk/test-and-trace-support-payment

Thank you again for all your support

Yours sincerely,

Katrina Stephens

Director of Public Health