Possible COVID exposure WWYD

[ktw]

Oct 14, 2020 12:56:04 GMT -5 magic said:

I'm confused. The student who has Covid in their household is in your son's class, correct?
Until the student gets a negative result back (hopefully very soon) I would assume your son has been exposed which means your household has been exposed, which means you should keep your daughter home while waiting for the results.

I'm sorry you're going through this, I also feel spread incredibly thin with childcare right now.

This is not how I understand it. My husband was directly exposed. We were told by multiple medical professionals, including my daughter's school nurse, that only my husband had to quarantine, unless we suspected he was positive, or he received positive test results. In fact, we had a weird series of events where my son woke up with cold symptoms on a Saturday, we had him tested on a Sunday, and my husband found out he had confirmed exposure on Monday evening. He was tested Tuesday morning. I kept my daughter home from school on Tuesday, because of my son's symptoms, and my husband's exposure. I spoke with the school nurse on Tuesday afternoon, and she told me that my daughter could attend school unless one of their tests came back positive, and she could attend school while we were waiting for their results. They both ended up being negative.

Susie doesn't know if her son was exposed, it depends on if the little boy from his class tests positive. If the little boy tests positive, Susie's son will be considered a close contact, and he will need to quarantine, regardless of his test results if she has him tested, but the rest of the family does not, unless Susie's son himself ends up testing positive.

[joy]

Oct 14, 2020 12:56:04 GMT -5 magic said:

I'm confused. The student who has Covid in their household is in your son's class, correct?
Until the student gets a negative result back (hopefully very soon) I would assume your son has been exposed which means your household has been exposed, which means you should keep your daughter home while waiting for the results.

I'm sorry you're going through this, I also feel spread incredibly thin with childcare right now.

No, a child in another room tested positive. The child’s younger sibling is in OP’s son’s class. The test results for the younger sibling are pending.

[beerlover]

ktw, that's how I understand it as well and what my husband has been told as a school principal in PA (I'm just waiting for him to be exposed at this point since they're back 100%, sigh).

[raangoli]

Susie, what I am saying is that for each time they close if they were to extend a refund or partial credit, that would impact their bottom line. It sucks paying for something that you do not get use of. I do not deny that. But I am thinking of the number of times closures have and may need to happen. And if each time time that happens there is a refund, their revenue and payroll is impacted.

I am apt to agree with thebreakfastclub that it doesn't sound like the center is a good fit for you for multiple reasons and hasn't been for a while.

[ktw]

Oct 14, 2020 13:18:47 GMT -5 beerlover said:

ktw , that's how I understand it as well and what my husband has been told as a school principal in PA (I'm just waiting for him to be exposed at this point since they're back 100%, sigh).

Same job for my husband (but elementary). His direct exposure was two weeks ago. School was open, but he was home quarantining. He went back to school for one day, and they had to go remote again because of 2 more (seemingly unrelated to the first and to each other) cases. Then a 3rd (seemingly related to one of the others) popped up. I am just happy he wasn't directly exposed this time, so no quarantine. It's going to be (and already has been) a loooooooong year.

[magic]

joy, we have the same understanding of the situation. Because the classmate lives in the same household as their sibling, you would presume the classmate is positive until they test negative, which also means you have to presume the OP's child has been exposed until the classmate's test comes back negative.

[kershnic]

Ugh. That sounds awful. Given that you’re in Ny, If you haven’t been contacted by the DOH you don’t need to quarantine, although laying low is a good choice. I would not pull your daughter from school over this. At all. Even if the kid in his class tests positive you won’t be required to pull your daughter, and even if that kid does based on your description of events your son was not exposed in the infectious period.

2 week center closure over this seems excessive, but people are nervous. I do know that schools here have struggled with staffing after a positive test because too many people are quarantined by the health department.

[beerlover]

Oct 14, 2020 13:23:41 GMT -5 ktw said:

Oct 14, 2020 13:18:47 GMT -5 beerlover said:

ktw , that's how I understand it as well and what my husband has been told as a school principal in PA (I'm just waiting for him to be exposed at this point since they're back 100%, sigh).

Same job for my husband (but elementary). His direct exposure was two weeks ago. School was open, but he was home quarantining. He went back to school for one day, and they had to go remote again because of 2 more (seemingly unrelated to the first and to each other) cases. Then a 3rd (seemingly related to one of the others) popped up. I am just happy he wasn't directly exposed this time, so no quarantine. It's going to be (and already has been) a loooooooong year.

It sure is. I really, really don't want to have to quarantine because of him, lol. His school had a staff member test positive on Sunday (H wasn't in contact with them, thankfully). The staff member was at a wedding (which my God who is still having indoor weddings?! I think at this point there are 10 or so positives from this event), and sat at a table with other kids from several schools in the district. The district shut down Monday to contact PA DOH and contact trace and figure out a plan. Thankfully, not many students were affected so they did go back to school Tuesday, but this is going to be constant all year. 

[tommygirl03]

Oct 14, 2020 13:30:46 GMT -5 magic said:

joy, we have the same understanding of the situation. Because the classmate lives in the same household as their sibling, you would presume the classmate is positive until they test negative, which also means you have to presume the OP's child has been exposed until the classmate's test comes back negative.

While I agree with your thought process, that is not how DoH explained it to me, either. You don’t “presume positive”. You carry on as normal until told otherwise .... which is precisely why this is a disaster. Person B does not quarantine until person A has a positive result. And person B’s family does not quarantine until person B has a positive result. But, if you get tested on day 5 (for example) and are negative, that does not mean you are in the clear. You need to wait the 14 days in quarantine (person B)... but you don’t have to go get another test. So my big question is what happens if you are positive but asymptomatic and don’t get another test after day 5 (from my ex) Now you are out wandering around spreading it for however many days you are contagious..

[joy]

Oct 14, 2020 13:30:46 GMT -5 magic said:

joy, we have the same understanding of the situation. Because the classmate lives in the same household as their sibling, you would presume the classmate is positive until they test negative, which also means you have to presume the OP's child has been exposed until the classmate's test comes back negative.

Except that direct exposure is with someone who has tested positive. The sibling hasn’t yet so it’s a gray area.

[Susie]

Oct 14, 2020 13:23:35 GMT -5 raangoli said:

Susie , what I am saying is that for each time they close if they were to extend a refund or partial credit, that would impact their bottom line. It sucks paying for something that you do not get use of. I do not deny that. But I am thinking of the number of times closures have and may need to happen. And if each time time that happens there is a refund, their revenue and payroll is impacted.

I am apt to agree with thebreakfastclub that it doesn't sound like the center is a good fit for you for multiple reasons and hasn't been for a while.

I understand all that.  Sometimes it just helps to be able to call a shitty situation what it is, while you are getting through it.  I'm not sure whether you're trying to make me feel better about it by pointing out the necessity of the way it is, or trying to make me feel worse because I've been frustrated by something that a better person would breeze through, with greater generosity of both spirit and dollars.  In any event, tuition v. payroll is not a tension I misunderstand, it's just not something that feels relevant to belabor because paying anything less than full tuition isn't an option.  

We are on a waitlist to move daycares, but there aren't any openings yet.  I had been hoping for an opening in Sept.  Maybe Dec., when DS turns 18m and moves up from infant to toddler.  I know "switch daycares!" is always the solution thrown out there, but infant spots just aren't that easy to breeze into and out of.

[raangoli]

Susie I am not trying to make you feel worse - I am trying to say that if the daycare wasn't paid/bringimg in revenue, then they may not be around to offer their service eventually. Which we can agree would definitely not help matters. Trust me that I have had the same grumbles about cost of things the last 7 months as I we likely all have.

I hope one of your wait lists come through - I am sure the limits on class sizes due to COVID isn't helping matters.

[noodleoo]

Oct 14, 2020 13:30:46 GMT -5 magic said:

joy , we have the same understanding of the situation. Because the classmate lives in the same household as their sibling, you would presume the classmate is positive until they test negative, which also means you have to presume the OP's child has been exposed until the classmate's test comes back negative.

Where are you getting this information from?  Because this is not the way our school system works and they are going on the recommendations of the BOH.  It is frustrating when people put their own assumptions out there as if it is official.

raangoli,  I sympathize with the financial hardships for childcare centers.  However, if the center is voluntarily choosing to close when they don't need to, it becomes a slippery slope.  I'm less sympathetic if they can't communicate a reason they *need* to close and impose a hardship on all the working parents who depend on their services (that have been paid for!) to do their jobs and guarantee their income.

[Susie]

Ugh, just got an email that wait no, actually DS's classmate isn't going to be COVID tested until tomorrow (Fri).  Apparently that timing is "what her doctor set up."  So we're all cooling our heels waiting for results today-ish, and s/he hasn't even been tested yet.

If s/he is tested on 10/16, and was last in contact with DS on 10/7, I am really not sure how useful that result will be for us in assessing DS's potential exposure.  We might get the result on 10/18 or so? at which point we'll be 11 days from DS's last exposure.  

This whole thing is so stressful.  Meanwhile I'm hyper analyzing every sniffle and twinge that anybody in the family has, on top of everything.

We also recently got an email from DD's school about what happens when the kids are out for illness or quarantine.  There is no virtual school for them, because they won't ask the elementary teachers to do synchronous learning (understandable) and they don't want to interrupt the full time virtual school (and their dedicated faculty) with kids coming in and out.  So there's literally nothing for in-person kids who are home for quarantine or illness.  It's like, here's some apps you can try.  Add this to the list of things that is not quite how I expected this to go.

[magic]

Oct 14, 2020 15:43:18 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

Oct 14, 2020 13:30:46 GMT -5 magic said:

joy , we have the same understanding of the situation. Because the classmate lives in the same household as their sibling, you would presume the classmate is positive until they test negative, which also means you have to presume the OP's child has been exposed until the classmate's test comes back negative.

Where are you getting this information from?  Because this is not the way our school system works and they are going on the recommendations of the BOH.  It is frustrating when people put their own assumptions out there as if it is official.

raangoli ,  I sympathize with the financial hardships for childcare centers.  However, if the center is voluntarily choosing to close when they don't need to, it becomes a slippery slope.  I'm less sympathetic if they can't communicate a reason they *need* to close and impose a hardship on all the working parents who depend on their services (that have been paid for!) to do their jobs and guarantee their income.

Well, I assume we live in different places with different Departments of Health. 

[noodleoo]

Oct 15, 2020 8:54:59 GMT -5 magic said:

Oct 14, 2020 15:43:18 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

Where are you getting this information from?  Because this is not the way our school system works and they are going on the recommendations of the BOH.  It is frustrating when people put their own assumptions out there as if it is official.

raangoli ,  I sympathize with the financial hardships for childcare centers.  However, if the center is voluntarily choosing to close when they don't need to, it becomes a slippery slope.  I'm less sympathetic if they can't communicate a reason they *need* to close and impose a hardship on all the working parents who depend on their services (that have been paid for!) to do their jobs and guarantee their income.

Well, I assume we live in different places with different Departments of Health. 

Are you in the US?  The recommendations are put out by the CDC.  Per the CDC:  "For COVID-19, a close contact is defined as any individual who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to positive specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated."  The sibling is a close contact and should be isolated.  OPs DS was in class with the sibling and is out of school already.  Her DD is an even further contact, so there is no reason she needs to be out of school too. 

Can you show me where you are getting the information that is different?  I don't want OP or other moms to feel guilty about sending their kids in this type of situation when they aren't doing anything wrong.

[waverly]

The county health departments probably don't have a conversation with families until someone in their actual family tests positive. So there is no guidance for that in between time.

Some families are quarantining the child that had an exposure. And some families are quarantining everyone out of an abundance of caution. With a lack of communication from the health department to your family at the moment, I would speak to the school nurse and/ or your pediatrician. My job is following this chart medical.mit.edu/sites/default/files/COVID-19_Flow_Chart.pdf.

In terms of the daycare closing entirely, I would have a conversation with the director and ask if this is their plan for every case or were there extenuating circumstanced with this case.

My kids are not in daycare anymore, only public school. However, they are quarantining entire busses or classrooms, not shutting down the whole school. If there is community spread in the school then they will shut it down however. That is being called an adaptive pause, and that decision is being made in conjunction with the health department.

[SusanBAnthony]

If they plan to close the whole school for one case, holy hell you'll never be in school.

Nanny time.

You know how we all feel about your daycare lol.

[dochas]

This is from the NY State Department of Health, and I think it explains things really well. It's difficult to find anything about someone who has been in contact with someone who was exposed but hasn't tested positive yet. 


Person A, Person B, Person C

[gretchenindisguise]

I'm sorry your daycare sucks.

I've been reading along with all of your trials and tribulations with this place for a long time.

I hope an opening at different place opens up soon. Until then, I wish you the strength to weather this storm.

[tacom]

I don’t understand why the sibling’s test is so delayed. That’s frustrating - is there a backlog in your area?

It seems like waiting a full week after a sibling positive (not knowing who patient 0 was in the household, where transmission most likely occurred) to test the other kid is a great way to get a negative result either way.

[icedcoffee]

I mean...I guess there's nothing the daycare can really do about the test results. They can't force someone to get tested. But this really sucks for everyone. I'm sorry.

[Susie]

To wrap this all up, just this morning I finally got an email that the little sibling of the positive case in DS's class has tested negative.  So of everyone who tested, the single child that started this all is the only one who has tested positive.  Today is also the 13th day since DS was last at daycare on the same day as this family, so I think we're in the clear.  Sure took our sweet time getting here!

I'm glad and relieved, but also frustrated.  The entire daycare is still closed all the rest of this week until next Monday's reopening.  I don't understand the logic of that decision, but 3 singing toys going at once, plus my 16 mo. old while I'm trying to work, sure says it sucks.

[icedcoffee]

So glad it was negative, but I understand your frustration. I would be frustrated too and I think it's time they reopen the other classrooms. WTF!

We had our first "potential covid" notification yesterday, but it seems like a longshot so it was more of an FYI than anything else.

Basically, the sibling of a kid in DS1's class (who doesn't go to our daycare. he's school age) had a playdate with a kid whos father tested positive after the playdate. The playdate was masked (or so they say). The kid in DS1's class and his entire family is now proactively quarantining for 2 weeks because THIS IS HOW IT WORKS and they GET IT! I appreciate the heads up, but feel chances are super low. Apparently kid in my kids class only came to school 1 time after the playdate before quarantining.

[beerlover]

Susie, glad you guys seem to be in the clear! I understand your frustration too and think it's a little ridiculous that they couldn't open up the other classrooms this week.

We just had a daycare parent test positive, related to a small outbreak at our local college where they work. So far it's just one, and those parents and children are quarantining. They were all tested and I'm not sure of results yet. This made me a little nervous and I considered whether I should pull DS out for a week or something, but ultimately I can't do that every time there's a related case. I'm sure the time will come where one of the teachers gets it or a child gets it and they do have to close, so I don't want to be pulling him out prematurely.

[steamboat185]

Oct 14, 2020 14:49:22 GMT -5 raangoli said:

Susie I am not trying to make you feel worse - I am trying to say that if the daycare wasn't paid/bringimg in revenue, then they may not be around to offer their service eventually. Which we can agree would definitely not help matters. Trust me that I have had the same grumbles about cost of things the last 7 months as I we likely all have.

I hope one of your wait lists come through - I am sure the limits on class sizes due to COVID isn't helping matters.

Our daycare has closed twice due to Covid cases (one probable false positive, this time it is siblings on either side of the building requiring it to entirely close). They haven’t charged us for the 2 week closing either time. It’s a National chain so maybe that gives them a bigger budget? I’d be pretty annoyed if I was paying for daycare while they were home.

[sdlaura]

I’m glad it was an isolated case - so was ours. We just had to keep my preschooler home for two weeks because one of his classmates tested positive. He went back today. The child that tested positive was the only person infected, and she apparently didn’t infect anyone else, so that was good. We didn’t receive any credit or money back for not being allowed to come for two weeks, but it’s also a non-profit, so I’m not going to ask. If the whole place closed and it was a for profit company, I would probably care more.

[noodleoo]

Oct 20, 2020 23:32:22 GMT -5 sdlaura said:

I’m glad it was an isolated case - so was ours. We just had to keep my preschooler home for two weeks because one of his classmates tested positive. He went back today. The child that tested positive was the only person infected, and she apparently didn’t infect anyone else, so that was good. We didn’t receive any credit or money back for not being allowed to come for two weeks, but it’s also a non-profit, so I’m not going to ask. If the whole place closed and it was a for profit company, I would probably care more.

I wouldn't expect a discount/money back in your case since your child was in the class with the child who tested positive.  However, in Susie's case they closed the entire daycare because of one case in one classroom!  I still can't believe they did that.  

Susie, I hope a spot opens up at another daycare for you soon.