Updated COVID-19 Screening Tool for Children

Posted On Friday October 02, 2020

The Government of Ontario made changes to the COVID-19 screening tool for children on October 1, 2020. The changes put symptoms in two different categories and still require your child to stay home if they are sick. Please review the below FAQ from the Ministry of Health for more information.

Remember, the easiest way to determine if your child should stay home is by verifying any symptoms and completing this online screening tool: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/ 

Please complete this screening every morning to determine if your child should be going to school. This is an important step in ensuring that all of us continue to stay safe. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. My child has woken up not feeling well, what do I do?

If you notice that your child has new or worsening symptoms, what you do depends on the

symptom and how usual they are for your child.

If your child has new or worsening:

  • Fever/chills
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath
  • Decreased or loss of smell or taste

Your child should isolate immediately and you should contact your child’s health provider

for further advice or assessment. The health care provider can help you determine

whether the symptoms are related to another non-COVID-19 condition, or if they should

get tested for COVID-19.

If your child has ONE new or worsening symptom (that is not related to a known cause or condition) that include:

  • Sore throat
  • Stuffy nose/runny nose
  • Headache
  • Nausea/vomiting/diarrhea
  • Fatigue/lethargy/muscle aches/malaise

Your child should stay home for 24 hours to be monitored to see whether the symptoms

get better or worse. If they start to feel better and symptoms are improving, they can

return to school/child care when well enough to do so and no COVID-19 testing is needed.

If the symptoms get worse, you should contact their health care provider for further advice

or assessment. The health care provider can help you determine whether the symptoms

are related to another non-COVID-19 condition, or if they should get tested for COVID-19.

If your child has TWO or MORE new or worsening symptoms (that are not related to a known cause or condition) that include:

  • Sore throat
  • Stuffy nose/runny nose
  • Headache
  • Nausea and/or vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Fatigue/lethargy/muscle aches or malaise

Your child should isolate immediately and you should contact your child’s health provider

for further advice or assessment. The health care provider can help you determine

whether the symptoms are related to another non-COVID-19 condition, or if they should

get tested for COVID-19. 

2. My child has a runny nose, what should I do?

If your child’s only symptom is a runny nose, you should keep your child home and monitor

their symptoms as you would in any other year. When they feel better, they are ready to

go back to school/child care and no COVID-19 testing is needed. If they get worse or

develop other symptoms, you should contact their health care provider for more advice.

Mild symptoms known to persist in young children (e.g., runny nose) may be ongoing at

time of return to school/child care if other symptoms have been resolved. 

3. Who in my family needs to be tested along with my child?

If your child has been identified as needing a test and everyone else in the family is well,

no testing of other family members is needed. If your child tests positive for COVID-19, the

local public health unit will contact you/your child and make a plan for additional testing

of all close contacts. 

4. Do I need a note from a doctor before my child goes back to school/child care or a

copy of a negative test result?

No, you do not need a note from your doctor or proof of a negative test before your child

returns to school/ childcare. 

5. I need more information to feel confident in my assessment, what do I do?

If you need additional information about COVID-19 or have a question specific to your child

and their health, please contact your health care provider.