All COVID-19 requirements are removed

Effective from Tuesday 15 August 2023, the 7 day mandatory isolation period, is removed.

If you have COVID-19

If you have COVID-19 it is recommend you isolate for at least 5 days, even if you only have mild symptoms. 

- Report your RAT Result here - https://mycovidrecord.health.nz/

Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand Advice

Guidance on illness and children’s attendance at schools:

Healthy young children can have up to 8 to 12 colds or upper respiratory tract infections each year and these are a normal part of childhood.

With a rise in seasonal colds, flu and other respiratory infections already occurring in our communities, use this guidance to assist with decisions about children’s attendance at school when they are, or have been unwell:

• A child should stay at home if they appear unwell or they develop one or more of these symptoms: new onset of a runny nose, sore throat, cough, fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, they are off their food and drink or show signs of feeling miserable.

• If a child becomes increasingly unwell and/or you are concerned about their health, call your GP or Healthline on 0800 611 116 for medical advice. A child who is refusing to drink anything is likely to be very unwell.

• If an in-person appointment is required for a child, follow your GP’s processes. 

• If you or a child you are caring for develops difficulty breathing, severe chest pain, fainting or becomes unconscious, call 111 immediately. 

• For accurate and reliable information on how to manage colds and flus visit KidsHealth and Health Navigator.

Guidance on wellness indicators within children:

If a child has been unwell with a respiratory illness other than COVID-19, they can return to school 24 hours after they have significantly improved and are behaving/eating normally. If they still have a runny nose or dry cough without any other symptoms such as a fever, vomiting or diarrhoea, then they are unlikely to be infectious and can be considered well enough to attend school

*Following vomiting or diarrhoea, a child must be symptom free for 48 hours before they can return.

*In general, a doctor’s certificate or clearance does not need to be provided for a child to return to school after being unwell.

* A child who has a runny nose after a change in temperature (e.g. moving from outdoors to indoors) or sneezes due to obvious stimuli (e.g. the sun or dust) does not need to be sent home.  

*Hay fever and other allergies can show similar symptoms to the common cold such as sneezing, a runny or stuffy nose and coughing. If a child has a history of allergic symptoms and shows one or more of these symptoms, or an itchy face (especially around the eyes or throat), consider if hay fever or an allergy could be the cause.