Symptoms of Covid-19

Dear Parents,

As you are aware, there is still a significant incidence of Covid-19 in our community.

Dr. Tony Houlihan, the Chief Medical Officer, has asked schools to remind parents of the symptoms of Covid- 19. The message from Mr. Houlihan is set out below:

‘The awareness of COVID19 symptoms, and what to do if you experience them, is extremely important.

The COVID19 symptoms for adults and children include:

- fever,

- cough,

- shortness of breath,

- loss of taste or smell,

- runny or blocked nose,

- nausea,

- vomiting or diarrhoea,

- aches,

- fatigue,

- sore throat,

- headache.

Regardless of how mild the symptoms may be, we ask that you isolate if you experience any of them and contact your GP.’

I would ask that parents make themselves fully aware of these symptoms, and follow Public Health advice if your child experiences them. This way, we can ensure our schools remain infection-free.

We would ask parents NOT to send their children to school if they have any of these symptoms. We have had to send a large number of pupils home during the school day due to illness, and this puts an enormous pressure on school personnel with the loss of valuable teaching time. Your co-operation in this regard would be much appreciated.

Contacting the school

If you are sending your child for a test, please keep us informed:

- The school email address is school@hopens.ie.

- The main telephone number for the school is 018128693.

- We also have a mobile phone which parents can contact the school out-of-hours to report a positive case of Covid-19. The number is 0894124400. This should only be used where you cannot contact the school directly and should only be used to report a Covid concern.

Kind regards,

Enda McGorman

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