Child with Symptoms & When to Return to Child Care or School

This information was last updated January 4, 2022. Information can change as further evidence or guidance becomes available and/or community status changes. 

If your child has been identified as a high-risk contact of a confirmed case of COVID-19, please refer to the helpful flowcharts from the Ontario Ministry of Health on the Information for Close Contacts page.

What to do if your child has symptoms.

If your child is staying home or has been sent home from child care or school because of symptoms or illness, keep them home. Limit contact with others, seek medical advice as necessary, and follow the instructions below regarding when they can return to child care or school and other activities.

Assessing for symptoms of COVID-19 should focus on evaluating what is new, worsening, or different from the child’s baseline health status or usual state. Symptoms associated with known chronic health conditions or related to other known causes/conditions should not be considered unless new, different or worsening.

You should talk to your health care provider about chronic conditions that might appear to be COVID-19 symptoms and communicate this to the child care provider or school.

Follow the directions in Ontario's COVID-19 School and Child Care Screening Tool and at COVID-19.ontario.ca/exposed.

If your child has symptom(s) of COVID-19, assume that they have the virus and that they are contagious. They must self-isolate. All household members must self-isolate as well.

Individuals who are fully vaccinated and otherwise healthy, or are under 12 years of age, must self-isolate for five days.

Isolation can be ended after five days only if symptoms have improved for at least 24 hours (or 48 hours if the symptoms affected the digestive system), and all public health and safety measures, such as masking and physical distancing, are followed.

Individuals who are not fully vaccinated or are immunocompromised must isolate for 10 days.

Anyone who is sick or has any signs of illness that are not linked to a known condition (such as allergies) should stay home, even if the symptoms are not COVID-related. They should seek assessment from their health care provider if symptoms worsen. Once the non-COVID symptoms have improved for at least 24 hours (or 48 hours if the symptoms affect the digestive system) and the child feels well enough, they can go back to school.

The provincial government has updated the criteria for who is eligible for a lab-based PCR test in order to ensure that resources are available to focus on high-risk settings, protecting the most vulnerable Ontarians and helping to keep critical infrastructure services running. An elementary or secondary student or education staff who has received a PCR self-collection kit through their school (if available) is eligible.

Children who tested positive on a rapid antigen test, don’t need a PCR test to confirm the result.

Anyone with symptom(s) of COVID-19 or anyone who has tested positive on a rapid test should assume that they have COVID-19 and should follow the self-isolation instructions at COVID-19.ontario.ca/exposed.

When your child can return to child care or school.

Follow the directions in Ontario's COVID-19 School and Child Care Screening Tool and in the tabs below if they were tested for COVID-19 or not.

Parents/caregivers should also follow school or child care centre policies, such as those related to travel.

If your child had symptoms of COVID-19 but they did not get tested, they must self-isolate. Individuals who are fully vaccinated and otherwise healthy, or are under 12 years of age, must self-isolate for 5 days.

Individuals who are not fully vaccinated or are immunocompromised must isolate for 10 days.

They can return to school only when they have completed the full self-isolation period.

Individuals who are fully vaccinated and otherwise healthy, or are under 12 years of age, must self-isolate for 5 days.

Individuals who are not fully vaccinated or are immunocompromised must isolate for 10 days.

Other Important Information

If your child tests positive from a PCR test, rapid molecular test, or a rapid antigen test, they must self-isolate. If your child tests positive, on a rapid antigen test, it does not need to be confirmed by a PCR test or reported to TBDHU (unless otherwise directed by public health).

You will not be contacted by public health, unless the exposure is related to a highest-risk setting (but this does not include schools.)

If they are fully vaccinated and otherwise healthy, or are under 12 years old, they must isolate for five days from when symptoms began or from the date of their test, whichever came first. They can end isolation after five days if symptoms are improved for at least 24 hours, and all public health and safety measures, such as masking and physical distancing, are followed.

If they are not fully vaccinated or are immunocompromised, they must isolate for 10 days after their symptoms began or the positive test result, whichever came first.

Household members must also isolate at the same time, whether they are fully vaccinated or not.

Refer to COVID-19.ontario.ca/exposed for full details.

Yes, if your child has symptoms, all household members must self-isolate too.

If household members are fully vaccinated and otherwise healthy, or are under 12 years of age, the self-isolation period is 5 days.

Self-isolation can end after five days only if household members do not have symptoms themselves, and all public health and safety measures, such as masking and physical distancing, are followed.

If household members are not fully vaccinated or are immunocompromised, they must self-isolate for 10 days.

Follow ALL directions on the results page of the COVID-19 School and Child Care Screening Tool, including the next steps, instructions for household members, and when to return to school.