COVID-19

Information about the coronavirus

A coronavirus is a type of virus. As a group, coronaviruses are common across the world. COVID-19 is a new strain of coronavirus first identified in Wuhan City, China in January 2020.  The incubation period of COVID-19 is between 2 to 14 days. This means that if a person remains well 14 days after contact with someone with confirmed coronavirus, they have not been infected.

Latest advice regarding symptoms

The most important symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are any of the following:

a new continuous cough;

a high temperature;

a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell.

Visit the NHS website for more information about the symptoms of Coronavirus - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Generally, these infections can cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long-term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease. There is no evidence that children are more affected than other age groups – very few cases have been reported in children.

How the coronavirus is spread

The latest information suggests that coronavirus is most likely to spread when there is close contact (within 2 metres) with an infected person. There are two routes by which people could become infected:

• secretions can be directly transferred into the mouths/noses of people nearby (within 2 metres) or could be inhaled into the lungs.
• it is also possible that someone may become infected by touching a surface or object that has been contaminated with respiratory secretions and then touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes (such as a door handle or shaking hands then touching own face).

There is currently no good evidence that people who do not have symptoms are infectious to others.

Preventing the spread of infection

There are simple steps that you can take to protect yourself, your family and others:

• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub available to buy in most supermarkets and community pharmacies.
• ‘Catch it, Bin it, Kill it’. Catch coughs and sneezes in a tissue ensuring the nose and mouth are fully covered to prevent any spray escaping. Dispose of the tissue as soon as possible in the bin and wash your hands or use alcohol-based hand rub to kill any germs.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces in the home and work environment.

Home Learning

For those year groups remaining at home, teachers are continuing to set a range of home learning activities. These can be accessed through the videos and additional resources being shared on the class pages on the website. Teachers can be contacted via their class emails if you have any questions about the activities or would like to share any of the work your children are completing.

Additional online learning resources that have been identified in the government guidance include:

BBC Bitesize - three daily lessons covering Maths, English and an area of the wider curriculum

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/primary

Oak National Academy - at least three daily lessons covering Maths, English and the wider curriculum

https://www.thenational.academy/online-classroom/schedule/#schedule

Link to the government's guidance on helping primary school children continue their education during Coronavirus

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/help-primary-school-children-continue-their-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19