02/20/2021
Cornerstone Preschool - COVID 19 Update – Feb 20th, 2021
Dear Families,
Hope you all are keeping healthy and safe,
Here is the most recent Memo/requirements we received from the City of Hamilton:
This letter is to provide an update on enhanced screening requirements in child care settings. On February 17, the Chief Medical Officer of Health issued enhanced school and child care screening requirements.
In alignment with the COVID-19 Variant of Concern: Case, Contact and Outbreak Management Interim Guidance (Version 2.0 – February 12, 2021), a more rigorous and cautious approach is being adopted to support a more comprehensive and enhanced school and child care screening program.
These changes build on other health and safety measures in place to ensure the safety of children and their families along with all education and child care staff.
Single-symptom screening
Children and staff with any new or worsening symptom of COVID-19, even those with only one symptom, must stay home until:
• They receive a negative COVID-19 test result;
• They receive an alternative diagnosis by a health care professional; or
• It has been 10 days since their symptom onset and they are feeling better.
The provincial COVID-19 screening tool has been updated to reflect these changes:
https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/.
Children or staff ill with an underlying condition for a runny nose due to a known allergy or other medical condition, should not be excluded. Child Care operators may request additional documentation from parents based on current policies at the child care centre.
Children who have an infectious illness that may be communicable must not enter a childcare facility while infectious. For further information on exclusion criteria for illnesses other than COVID-19, please review the exclusion criteria outlined in the Infection Control Guidelines for Child Care Centres.
Isolation requirement for household contacts of symptomatic individuals
As outlined in the COVID-19 Variant of Concern: Case, Contact and Outbreak Management Interim Guidance (Version 2.0 – February 12, 2021) all asymptomatic household contacts of symptomatic individuals are required to quarantine until the
symptomatic individual receives a negative COVID-19 test result or an alternative diagnosis by a health care professional. If the symptomatic individual does not seek
COVID-19 testing, all household contacts must quarantine for 14 days from their last contact with that symptomatic individual.
Public Health will provide specific advice on what control measures should be implemented to prevent the potential spread and how to monitor for other possible infected staff members and children. Notification should be provided by calling the
COVID-19 hotline, 905-974-9848 option 6.
Symptomatic staff and/or parents/guardians of symptomatic children are able to book a COVID-19 test online at www.hamiltoncovidtest.ca. Individuals unable to access website
can call Public Health’s COVID-19 line at 905-974-9848 option 2 to book a testing appointment.
For any questions or concerns related to this letter, please call the COVID-19 hotline at 905-974-9848 option 4.
Please note – All these changes will be in effect starting Monday, February 22nd, 2021
Cornerstone Preschool realizes that it may not be easy to keep up with all these new regulations mandated by the City of Hamilton and Public Health Ontario, however these new policies have been designed in order keep all our staff and families of Hamilton and Ontario safe and healthy.
I would also like to acknowledge your sustained commitment to the health and well-being of Ontario families. Your patience is greatly appreciated, and your ongoing partnership has been crucial during these challenging times.
We will keep everyone updated on any further developments.
Stay Healthy & Stay Safe!
Cornerstone Preschool
Begin booking an appointment for a COVID-19 test online by clicking the dark blue schedule appointment button below. You will then be provided the option of available appointments. We may modify the number of appointments available on this website at any time.
