When schools reopened in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, school officials warned parents to keep their kids home if they showed even the slightest sign of illness. Now, as we head into the third school year with COVID, the messaging has changed.
“My advice on keeping children home from school now is similar to what was in place pre-pandemic,” Dr. Smita Malhotra, chief medical officer for the Los Angeles Unified School District, wrote in an update to parents and caregivers.
Parents are now being told to send their children to school if they are unwell, but keep them home if they have more serious symptoms.
“It is not practical for working parents to keep children home from school for every runny nose, nor is it in the best interest of children to continue to miss school after pandemic school closures,” Malhotra wrote. “If your child has a mild runny nose or cold symptoms that are not bothering them, and they test negative for COVID-19, send them to school. Your child can wear a mask at school when they have these mild symptoms.”
If your child has a mild runny nose or cold symptoms that are not bothering them, and they test negative for COVID-19, send them to school.
— Dr. Smita Malhotra, chief medical officer, Los Angeles Unified School District
This guidance is significantly different than in past years, when parents were told that any illness meant keeping kids at home.
“I completely agree with LAUSD’s message,” said Dr. Anuradha Seshadri, internal medicine and pediatrician at UCLA Health Century City. “It has been shown to improve just their psyche, emotional well being by seeing their friends at school, interacting, coming back and being a part of…
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