Edinburgh nursery child tests positive for Covid-19 with contact tracing now complete

A child has tested positive for coronavirus at a nursery in Edinburgh.

An email sent to parents and colleagues, from Juniper Green Primary School’s headteacher, said close contacts of the child have been notified and “appropriate” measures put in place with staff and pupils asked to attend school as normal.

The email, seen by the Edinburgh Evening News, said it is the first positive case of Covid-19 at Juniper Green and that every precaution has been taken to ensure the safety of staff, pupils and families.

A letter to parents and carers from Alison McCallum, NHS Lothian director of public health and health policy, sent with the email, said children who have been in direct contact with the confirmed case have been contacted and will be staying at home for 14 days since they last had contact with the case.

Juniper Green Primary School. Pic: Google

The letter adds: “The school remains open and if your child has not been contacted then they should continue to attend school if they remain well.”

The letter advises parents that, if their child develops Covid-19 symptoms, they must not come to school and should self-isolate and get tested for the virus.

Coronavirus symptoms include a new, continuous cough and/ or a high temperature and/ or a loss of, or change in, taste or smell.

All other household members should then self-isolate until the result of the test is received.

If the test is positive, your child should remain in self-isolation for at least 10 days from the date their symptoms started, and the rest of the household must remain in self-isolation for the full 14 days from the day the child first had symptoms.

If your child tests negative, they can come out of isolation and return to school if they are well enough and have not had a fever for 48 hours. The rest of the household can also come out of self-isolation and return to their usual activities.

The letter also says that, for most people, coronavirus will be a mild illness.

Advice is also provided on ways to reduce risk of coronavirus transmission including regularly washing hands, using hand santiser gel if soap and water are not available, and covering your mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve when you cough or sneeze and putting used tissues in the bin.

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