Parents have so many questions and concerns about understanding the rules related to sending their child to school during a pandemic. Can I send my child to school if they have seasonal allergies? When can my child go back to school after receiving a negative COVID-19 test?
Thankfully Ottawa Public Health is here to take the guesswork out of sending your child school.
You can use Ottawa Public Health’s Attestation for Return to School/Childcare for Students Following Illness when:
- Your child has been previously diagnosed by a doctor or nurse practitioner with a chronic condition like allergies or asthma.
- A doctor or nurse practitioner has diagnosed your child with a medical reason other than COVID-19 confirming their illness symptoms are not related to COVID-19.
- Your child has self-isolated for at least 14 days from the day they started feeling sick, is feeling better and has not had a fever for at least three days.
Your child received a negative COVID-19 test, has not been told by a healthcare provider or Ottawa Public Health to continue to self-isolate. In this situation, your child can return to school if they have not felt sick for 24 hours, or 48 hours if they experienced diarrhea or vomiting. Mild symptoms like a runny nose do not need to be gone entirely to return to school, but their mild symptoms need improvement, and other symptoms need to have stopped.