The Alberta government has updated the daily COVID-19 symptoms checklist for children under the age of 18, as well as individuals who are 18 or over and a student attending high school. The government has also updated the student illness – if a student has symptoms information to reflect these changes.
The symptoms of runny nose and sore throat have been removed from the “core” symptoms list. Though students are not to attend school while they have a runny nose or sore throat, they are no longer required to isolate for 10 days if this is the only symptom.
The core symptoms for students that now require isolation for 10 days are one (or more) of the following:
· Cough
· Fever
· Loss of taste or smell
· Shortness of breath
If a student has one of the following other symptoms, they can return to school when the symptom is gone, as long as it has been at least 24 hours:
· Chills (without fever);
· Sore throat or painful swallowing;
· Runny nose or congestion;
· Feeling unwell or fatigued;
· Lack of energy;
· Nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea;
· Unexplained loss of appetite;
· Muscle or joint aches;
· Headache;
· Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
If the symptom from the list above does not improve in 24 hours or if another symptom develops, parents should continue to keep their child home until the symptom(s) go away.
If a child has a core symptom, or two or more symptoms from either list, a COVID-19 test is recommended.
As of November 2nd, New Heights has updated our COVID-19 daily screening tool and Re-Entry Plan to reflect these clarifications for students.
Translated versions of the new Alberta Health daily checklist for children under 18, as well as updates to other materials to reflect this change, are posted at alberta.ca/returntoschool.
