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

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, which are also outlined here:

Staff, students and children with any new or worsening symptom of COVID-19, even those with only one symptom, must stay home until: 

• They receive a negative COVID-19 test result; 
• They receive an alternative diagnosis by a health care professional; OR
• It has been 10 days since their symptom onset and they are feeling better. 

If your child has symptoms, they must stay home and self-isolate immediately, even if they are fully vaccinated and even if they previously tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days. Contact the Assessment Centre nearest you to make an appointment for COVID-19 testing. Contact your health care provider for further advice or assessment.

Any NON-fully vaccinated household members (i.e. siblings, parents/guardians) of individuals with symptoms must also be self-isolating until the symptomatic individual either tests negative, is cleared by local public health (if applicable), or they are diagnosed with another illness. If they are fully vaccinated or if they have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days, they are not required to stay home as long as they do not have symptoms themselves. Please see Guidance for Fully Vaccinated Individuals and You Previously Tested Positive for COVID-19 for details.

If any household members develop symptoms, they must also self-isolate and should arrange testing (even if they're fully vaccinated and even if they previously tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 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 and the child feels well enough, they can go back to school. A COVID-19 test is not required for them to return to class.

If any of the following COVID-19 symptoms develop, it is time for a COVID-19 test:  

• Fever (temperature of 37.8°C/100°F or higher)
• Chills
• Cough or barking cough (croup) (continuous, more than usual, making a whistling noise when breathing, not related to other known causes e.g. asthma, COPD)
• Shortness of breath (out of breath, unable to breathe deeply, not related to other known causes or conditions e.g. asthma)
• Decrease or loss of taste or smell (not related to seasonal allergies or other known causes or conditions e.g. neurological disorders)
• Nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea (not related to other known causes or conditions e.g. transient vomiting due to anxiety in children, chronic vestibular dysfunction, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, side effect of medication)

You can find more information on the Screening and Symptoms page.

*Note that this guidance does not apply to individuals who have been identified as high-risk contacts of COVID-19. See the Important Information for High-Risk Close Contacts page for details. 

Anyone with any symptom of COVID-19, even if mild, must self-isolate and should arrange testing. This also applies to individuals who are fully vaccinated.

Your child's health care provider can also help you determine whether the symptoms are related to another non-COVID-19 condition, or if they should get tested for COVID-19.

Testing information for your community is available on the Testing Information page. This page also provides other information about testing, including how to access your child’s test results.

Your child must continue to stay home and limit contact with others while awaiting a test or the test results, even if they are feeling better. See the instructions below about when they can resume their usual activities, including returning to child care or school. Children can still participate in remote learning if they feel well enough.

Non-fully vaccinated household members of individuals with symptoms must also be self-isolating until the test result comes back. If they are fully vaccinated or if they have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days, they are not required to stay home as long as they do not have symptoms themselves. Please see Guidance for Fully Vaccinated Individuals and You Previously Tested Positive for COVID-19 for details.

If any household members develop symptoms, they must also self-isolate and arrange testing (even if they are fully vaccinated and even if they previously tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days).

If your child had symptoms of COVID-19 but they did not get tested, they must self-isolate for 10 days, unless ALL of the following apply:

• a health care provider diagnosed them with another illness; AND
• they do not have a fever (without using medication); AND
• it has been at least 24 hours since their symptoms (e.g. fever) started improving, or 48 hours since their gastrointestinal symptoms (e.g. vomiting or diarrhea) resolved.

This direction does not apply to those who have:

• been identified as a close contact with someone who has COVID-19 (see the Guidance for Fully Vaccinated Individuals or You Previously Tested Positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days for further details if either situation applies);
• been advised to self-isolate by the Thunder Bay District Health Unit; OR
• returned from travel outside Canada in the last 14 days and are required to self-isolate under the Federal Quarantine Act

They can return to school if ALL the following apply:

• they do not have a fever (without using medication); AND
• it has been at least 24 hours since their symptoms (e.g. fever) started improving, or 48 hours since their gastrointestinal symptoms (e.g. vomiting or diarrhea) resolved.

This direction does not apply to those who have:

• been identified as a close contact with someone who has COVID-19 (see the Guidance for Fully Vaccinated Individuals or You Previously Tested Positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days for further details if either situation applies);

• been advised to self-isolate by the Thunder Bay District Health Unit; OR
• returned from travel outside Canada in the last 14 days and are required to self-isolate under the Federal Quarantine Act

They can return to school only when they are cleared by your local public health unit.

• Check your COVID-19 test results using Ontario's COVID-19 Test Results Viewer.
• If it has been 10 days or more since your child developed symptoms AND it has been at least 24 hours since their symptoms (e.g. fever) started improving, or 48 hours since their gastrointestinal symptoms (e.g. vomiting or diarrhea) resolved, they can return to school in the absence of receiving their test result.
• If it has been less than 10 days since your child developed symptoms, please be patient as test turn-around time can vary.
• To inquire about accessing your child’s test result, please contact the assessment centre that performed the test.

This direction does not apply to those who have:

• been identified as a close contact with someone who has COVID-19 (see the Guidance for Fully Vaccinated Individuals or You Previously Tested Positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days for further details if either situation applies);

• been advised to self-isolate by the Thunder Bay District Health Unit; OR
• returned from travel outside Canada in the last 14 days and are required to self-isolate under the Federal Quarantine Act.

If your child tests positive, public health will be notified and will contact you to provide information, guidance and begin the public health investigation to determine high-risk contacts and possible exposure.

• TBDHU will call you to gather details about your child’s contacts. If your child has been at child care or school during the infectious period, TBDHU will contact the facility to get information about high-risk contacts. 
• Your child would need to self-isolate and take appropriate precautions to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to others, including to others in the household. Visit the Caring for Someone with COVID-19 page for tips and suggestions.
• All household members must self-isolate for 10 days from their last contact with the confirmed case. If they are in contact with them every day, the self-isolation period for household members is 10 days from the day the case comes out of isolation. If any symptoms develop in household members, arrangements for testing should be made.
  • NOTE: Self-isolation instructions may differ for people who are fully vaccinated and for people who previously tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days and have since been cleared of their infection. Please see Guidance for Fully Vaccinated Individuals and You Previously Tested Positive for COVID-19 for details.
• A public health professional will follow up to check on their overall health and well-being, answer your questions, and provide ongoing support and recommendations.
• Your child must stay in self-isolation at home and not return to child care, school or other activities in the community until public health advises you that it is okay for them to do so. 
• A repeat test is not needed - and is not recommended - for someone to be considered ‘cleared’ or ‘resolved’ of their COVID-19 infection.

At this time, any NON-fully vaccinated siblings, parents/caregivers and other persons in the household of symptomatic individuals must self-isolate until the symptomatic individual receives a negative COVID-19 test result or an alternative diagnosis by a health care professional.

If they are fully vaccinated or if they have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days, they are not required to stay home as long as they do not have symptoms themselves. Please see Guidance for Fully Vaccinated Individuals and You Previously Tested Positive for COVID-19 for details.

If the symptomatic individual does not get tested, any NON-fully vaccinated household members must self-isolate for 10 days from their last contact with the symptomatic person. If they are in contact with them every day, the self-isolation period for household members is 10 days from the day the symptomatic person comes out of isolation (which is 10 days from when their symptoms started). So the total isolation for household members in this case would be 20 days, beginning the day symptoms started to appear in the unwell person. 

If anyone develops symptoms, they must self-isolate and should get tested, even if they are fully vaccinated and even if they previously tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days.  

This guidance may change under certain circumstances. TBDHU will provide further instructions as necessary.

If any person in your household is identified as a high-risk contact of someone who has COVID-19, public health will be in contact to gather and provide information and guidance to ensure appropriate precautions are in place for individuals in the household. 

Please see Important Information for High-risk Contacts of COVID-19 more details.

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. You can also find information in the tabs above and on the Self-Isolation page.