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St Mary's PS Dechomet, Castlewellan

New Contact Tracing

12th Sep 2021

12th September 2021

Dear Parent/Guardian,
Please find below a summary of the latest guidance that has been received from the Education Authority and the Public Health Agency in relation to how protocols have changed, with effect from today, in dealing with positive Covid-19 cases.
• It is no longer the responsibility of schools to undertake contact tracing activities. Parents however still need to inform the school of a confirmed positive PCR test
• In the event of a child testing positive for Covid-19, the PHA Contact Tracing Service will have responsibility for identifying close contacts
• Those identified as a close contact will be notified by the PHA Contact Tracing Service
• In certain circumstances the PHA Contact Tracing Service may contact schools to aid close contact tracing or to access contact information
• In the event of a confirmed case, an alert letter will be issued to parents informing them that a person with close links to their child’s class has tested positive. This will not mean that all children should get a test. Parents of children identified as close contacts will be notified by the PHA Contact Tracing Service
The situation is of course still very fluid and may be subject to change. We are all doing our utmost to keep our school environment as free from Covid as we can, and we greatly appreciate the cooperation and support of everyone in helping us achieve this.

Yours sincerely,
Mrs Oonagh McNally
Principal