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COVID-19 POLICY

EDINBURGH GUARDIAN ANGELS

GUIDANCE NOTES FOR HOST FAMILIES

Preventing the spread of COVID-19

Please discuss all of the below with your students upon arrival to help reduce the spread of infection:

Keep good hygiene:

• EVERYONE should wash their hands regularly - this is particularly important for people who have recently travelled to the UK as you could have contracted Coronavirus but not yet developed symptoms
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and hot water, for at LEAST 20 seconds, rinse and dry thoroughly
• Use alcohol-based hand sanitiser if soap and water are not available
• Avoid touching your nose, eyes, and mouth with unwashed hands
• Cover your nose AND mouth with a disposable tissue when you cough or sneeze
• Dispose of tissues into a plastic waste bag, and immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, rinse and dry thoroughly

- Practice social distancing - where possible remain 2 meters apart from each other

- Wear face masks at all times on public transport, attending hospitals and in shops (ensure you keep a supply at home incase anyone runs out)

- Ensure anti-bacterial hand gel is in students rooms (ensure you have a supply incase anyone runs out)

- People who are clinically vulnerable are advised to stay at home as much as possible and minimise contact with others outside their household (please agree who are in the "friendship or household" bubbles) e.g. those aged over 70

- The above will affect the use of some host families during the pandemic

What should you do if someone presents with symptoms of COVID-19?

A reminder of the Coronavirus Symptoms:

• new continuous cough
• fever/high temperature (37.8C or greater)
• loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste (anosmia)

A new continuous cough is where you:

• have a new cough that's lasted for an hour
• have had 3 or more episodes of coughing in 24 hours
• are coughing more than usual

If you have symptoms of COVID-19 however mild you should:

- SELF ISOLATE FOR 14 DAYS FROM WHEN YOUR SYMPTOMS STARTED

- Arrange to have a test

- DO NOT go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital

- Try and stay as far away from other members of your household as possible (it is especially important to stay away from anyone who is clinically vulnerable with whom you share a household)

- Alert people who you do not live with and have had close contact within the last 48 hours to let them know you have the symptoms of COVID-19

• Following a positive test result, you will receive a request by text, email or phone to log into the NHS Test & Trace service website and provide information about recent close contacts

If you, or someone in the same household, present with symptoms:

- ALL household members must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days

- The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the household becomes ill OR if they do not have symptoms, from the day their test was taken

- If anyone else in the household starts displaying symptoms, they must stay at home for at least 10 days from when their symptoms appear, regardless of what day they are on in their original 14-day isolation period

If you are NOT experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 but have tested positive, you must:

- self-isolate for 14 days, STARTING FROM THE DAY THE TEST WAS TAKEN

- If you develop symptoms during this isolation period, restart your 14-day isolation from the day you developed symptoms

What to do if you cannot cope with your symptoms at home, or your condition gets worse:

- Use NHS 111 online COVID-19 service

- If you do not have internet access, call NHS on 111

- For a medical emergency ALWAYS dial 999

How to practice social distancing

- Stay at LEAST 6 feet (2 metres) from other people who are not from your household - this should be adhered to both indoor and outdoor

- Use technology to socialise

� Choose the right time and location for exercise

� Avoid gatherings of more than 6 people

� Minimise physical contact (no shaking hands)

� Avoid touching your face and mouth

Shielding

If you're clinically extremely vulnerable you should have received a letter confirming this or have been told directly by your GP or hospital clinician.

This includes people who are at the highest risk of severe illness from coronavirus. People on the list will receive a letter telling them so. This includes some children and young people.

As at October 2020 - anyone who has been shielding should follow the same advice as everyone else

� Click here for updated information

What happens if my child comes into contracts COVID-19 symptoms whilst in Scotland?

• If it happens whilst in school, the school will ensure that your child is isolated, tested, taken care of appropriately. They will not be transferred to a host family due to the risk of infecting a family and the community.
• If it happens whilst residing with a host family, the host family will isolate the student and take care of them within their family home.They will be for COVID-19 as soon as possible.
• If the test should prove positive your child will be transferred with appropriate medical care
• The host family will follow the Host Family COVID-19 Guidance.

What would happen if a school was closed due to COVID-19?

Edinburgh Guardian Angels will use our safe transport service to transfer your child to a carefully selected Host Family who will care for your child during school closure.

Our Edinburgh Guardian Angels contract taxi drivers will adhere to the following:

• Drivers will wear a face mask at all times
• Drivers will ensure that no previous customers have had symptoms of COVID-19
• Drivers will maintain distance when assisting with luggage
• Will avoid all physical/skin contact.
• Taxi interiors will be wiped cleaning with anti-bacteria or disinfectant sprays between clients (door handles, seats etc)
• Drivers wash hands before touching student's luggage
• Drivers will always keep windows open to help with ventilation
• Switch off air conditioning to avoid recycling the air within the vehicle
• Any rubbish, personal waste, wipes, tissues etc will be disposed of by driver in disposable rubbish bags, before and after transporting the student
• The driver will always message the Guardian when he/she has collected the student and also when they have safely reached their destination.