Frequently Asked Questions

TBDHU is informed when any resident of the health unit area has a positive COVID-19 test. When such a report is received, a Public Health Nurse (PHN) quickly follows up with the individual who has COVID-19. After ensuring that the individual is isolating and managing with their illness, the PHN will gather detailed information about where they were, what they were doing and the nature of interactions they had with other people during the period of time when they could have passed the virus on to others (the “infectious period”).

If it is determined that an individual with COVID-19 was in a child care centre or school - for example, if it was a child, a staff member, or a visitor with COVID-19 - then further information will be gathered to assess the risk that the virus may have spread to others.  Child care centres and schools are required to maintain records of attendance, cohorts and activities that they will provide to public health to assist in determining who may have been exposed to the individual with COVID-19 in that setting. Note that an individual with COVID-19 may not have been in the child care centre or school when they were infectious. In this case, transmission in that setting would not have happened and no follow-up with the child care centre or school would be needed.

Public health will work closely with the child care centre or school to ensure that anyone who is at risk for COVID-19 is informed and given instructions about what they need to do. Some individuals in the child care or school setting may be considered “close contacts” where the risk that they may have caught the virus is higher. These individuals will need to self-isolate at home for 14 days and will be followed by a PHN. Others will be considered ‘low risk’ and will be able to continue to attend child care or school with the guidance to be vigilant in monitoring for any symptoms. PHNs will follow-up and closely monitor the situation for period of time after any suspected exposure (usually two weeks or more as needed). During that time, if there is any indication that the virus has spread to others, public health will act quickly and introduce stronger measures to contain any ongoing spread of the virus.

As the parent or caregiver for your child, you would likely already be aware if your child was being tested for COVID-19 - perhaps because they were unwell and had symptoms of COVID-19 or because they were known to have been exposed to someone with the virus. In fact, you may have already had interactions with a Public Health Nurse (PHN) or a health care provider about your child.

If your child’s test came back positive, a PHN would connect with you and your child. Your child would need to isolate and take appropriate precautions to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to others, including to others in the household. The PHN would follow up daily to check on their overall health and wellbeing, answer your questions, and provide ongoing support and recommendations to help manage through this time. Public health will also advise you when your child is considered ‘cleared’ of the virus and can resume their regular activities, including returning to child care or school. A repeat test is not needed - and is not recommended - for someone to be considered ‘cleared’ or ‘resolved’ of their COVID-19 infection. 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.

Your child can be exposed to COVID-19 in the home, through interactions in the community or other settings, or at their child care centre or school.

As part of the public health follow-up on someone who has COVID-19, public health identifies individuals who may have been exposed to the virus through their interactions with the individual with COVID-19. These individuals, who are often referred to as “contacts”, are identified as being at higher risk or lower risk depending on the nature of their interactions with the person who had COVID-19.  “Close contacts” are those who are at higher risk. To assess the level of risk, public health considers factors related to the interactions such as location, length of time, activities, distance apart, and the protective measures that were practiced at the time.

If an exposure to COVID-19 occurred at a child care centre or school, the facility will provide public health detailed information, including contact information for parents/caregivers, as part of the public health investigation of the exposure.  Child care centres and schools are expected to maintain various records in order to assist public health with the quick identification of people who are contacts and management of COVID-19 exposures in those settings.

If your child has been identified as a ‘close contact’ of someone who has COVID-19, you will be contacted directly by a PHN. The PHN will get additional information from you and your child and the PHN will tell you what you and your child need to do and will answer your questions. Close contacts need to self-isolate at home and monitor for symptoms. Testing for COVID-19 will be recommended in some circumstances. The PHN can assist in accessing testing if and when that is needed. Public health will also continue to support you and your child, often through regular connection with you, through the self-isolation period and will advise you when your child can return to child care or school. Your child must not return to child care or school until public health advises you that it is okay for them to do so.

If your child is identified as being a low risk contact of someone with COVID-19, information and instructions will be communicated to you through the child care centre, school or public health communication. In most circumstances, low risk contacts can continue to attend child care or school in person as long as they remain without symptoms. You will be provided information on how to contact public health if you have questions.

Please ensure your child’s child care centre or school has up-to-date contact information so public health can reach you, during the day, as well as in evenings and on weekends.

Note that public health will not reveal the name or personal information of anyone who has COVID-19.

Preventing individuals who may have COVID-19 from entering a setting such as a workplace, facility or business, is an important part of reducing the risk of COVID-19 passing to other people in that setting. The same applies for child care centres and schools.

Everybody entering a child care or school setting - including children, staff, and any others permitted to enter the facility - are required to screen prior to entering. This screening is generally done through individuals assessing themselves for symptoms, and for possible exposures to COVID-19, before entering the child care centre or school. For children, parents/caregivers will be responsible for screening their child prior to leaving for child care or school in the morning - see the next question for details.

Signs are posted at child care centres and schools reminding people to screen themselves for symptoms and to not enter the facility if they have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or if they have a risk of exposure to COVID-19. Child care centres and schools can also limit where people can enter the facility to ensure that everyone is aware of the screening expectations.

Yes, parents/caregivers are expected to screen their child(ren) prior to leaving for child care or school in the morning. 

The following tools can be used to screen your child(ren) every day before child care or school:

• Ontario COVID-19 School and Child Care Screening Tool (online version)
• Ontario COVID-19 School and Child Care Screening Tool (PDF version)

Follow the instructions provided in the screening tool. More details can also be found on the Child with Symptoms & When to Return page.

As part of the guidance from the Ministry of Education, child care centres and schools are required to designate a place in the facility where individuals who develop symptoms while in that setting can go to be separated from others.

Individuals in that space will be expected to wear a medical mask, practice good hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette with proper disposal of any tissues used.  A medical mask will be provided to them by the child care centre or school and any cloth mask or face covering your child was wearing while be placed in a bag or container and returned to you. If there is more than one individual in the space, they will keep physically distance (i.e. be apart by 2 metres or more). Child care centres and schools are required to arrange enhanced cleaning of the space, including when individuals vacate the space.

The child care centre or school will contact you when your child has symptoms and your child will need to be picked up as soon as possible. Your child will not be able to go on the school bus or public transit to get home. Older students who are only mildly symptomatic and are able to get home (eg. walking or biking), can return home on their own if both you and the school agree on this.  The student should be alone or be at least 2 metres apart from anyone else they are traveling with.

There are a number of reasons when your child should stay home and not go to child care or school. These include:

• The daily screening indicated that your child should not attend child care or school for whatever reason (this is also called “failing the screen”).
• They have symptoms of COVID-19 that are new or worsening or are different from the child's usual state. Refer to the Ontario COVID-19 School and Child Care Screening Tool and the Child with Symptoms & When to Return page for specific symptoms and corresponding instructions.
• They are recovering from being sick. For details on when they can return to child care or school and other activities, see the Child with Symptoms & When to Return page.
• Public health has advised you that they need to self-isolate at home because they have had a close contact with someone who has COVID-19 in the household, community, child care or at school.
• They have returned from travel outside of Canada in the last 14 days and are required to self-isolate under the federal Quarantine Act.
• They are a household member of someone who has returned from travel outside of Northwestern Ontario who has/develops symptoms of COVID-19 (even if they have not traveled and do not have symptoms themselves). Household members of symptomatic travelers should self-isolate and seek testing if symptoms develop.
• If you think your child was exposed to someone with COVID-19, or been to a location with a COVID-19 outbreak, even if you haven’t been advised this by public health.

Note that in many of the above circumstances your child should be able to participate in home-based learning activities that your child’s school may have arranged if they are feeling well enough.

There are many things about school that will seem very familiar to your child. However, there are also some things that are quite different. Many of the usual practices and activities that your child might be used to are being done differently. Some are not being done at all. Your child might not be able to interact with others who they know at school because of cohorting and physical distancing requirements. Teachers look different as they wear masks and face shields or goggles that partly cover their faces. 

Continue talking with your child about what school is like right now. Work with the school to help your child adjust. Times like this can have significant impact on emotional and mental health. Take advantage of the various supports that are available through your child’s school, in the community and online to promote the overall health and well-being of your child.

Masks are required (with some exceptions) for students in Grades 1-12 and are encouraged for students in Kindergarten. This is particularly important for children who take the school bus.

Try to find masks that are comfortable for your child to wear. Encourage them to practice wearing a mask for longer periods of time.

Note that if your child feels unwell when at school or gets symptoms, your child, regardless of their age, will be given a medical mask to wear while waiting to get picked up from school. 

Parents/caregivers should have a back-up plan for when your child cannot go to school. Your child may be more absent from in-person instruction this year compared to other years because of the pandemic. There are many reasons for why your child should not go to school or child care - see the Child with Symptoms & When to Return page for details. Your child’s school may have options for participating in home-based learning while they are at home.   

Parents/caregivers are also encouraged to have plans for how your child can get home from school during the day if needed. If your child develops symptoms when at school, they will need to be pick up from school as soon as possible. Your child will not be able to take the school bus home or attend child care or after school programs. 

Please ensure that your contact information and emergency contact information is always up-to-date with your child’s school. There are a number of reasons why the school may need to contact you during the school day or afterwards. Also, schools will provide contact information to public health if it's needed to get in touch with you about your child.

Consider alternatives to taking the school bus if possible. Active transportation, like walking or biking, are good options if they are feasible. A group of up to 5 students can do this together to get to school as long as they can maintain physical distancing.