Now that the numbers of those infected with the virus is increasing rapidly, you may be faced with these questions below. Dr Sheri Fanaroff, a past pupil of Emmarentia Primary School (1981-1985), who is now a practising GP in Johannesburg shared these answers recently.
I have diarrhoea/ a cold/ a headache / a sore throat – can I go to work/ school?
No! At the moment, while we are on the steep upward trajectory of the epidemic, anybody who has ANY symptom of illness should stay home. Symptoms of COVID are often mild and can be varied, including the above symptoms as well as fever, body pain, weakness, loss of taste/ smell, cough, shortness of breath. Should you or your child have ANY symptom, it is essential that you stay home and consult with your Doctor about whether you need to be tested for COVID. It would be irresponsible to go to work or school in this situation as you may transmit the virus and cause an outbreak. Stay home, consult your doctor about the need for testing and do not return to work or school until you have been tested (and received a negative result) or advised by the doctor and your school that it is safe to return.
My child/ spouse has a fever/ cough – they will obviously stay home, but can I go to work/ school?
No! If ANY household member has any of the symptoms described in the first question, ALL household members are possible contacts of a patient with COVID. This means that ALL household members need to stay home until the person with suspected illness has been tested or cleared by the doctor. Should the sick person receive a negative test result, then the rest of the family may return to work/ school. If the sick person turns out to be positive for COVID, the rest of the household would need to be quarantined for 14 days. It would be irresponsible for contacts of the sick person to attend work/ school and risk passing on the virus to those around them.
My work colleague/ my child’s school friend/ someone who I chatted to at the shops has just called me to say they have COVID, what must I do?
The NICD definition of a “Close Contact” includes:
• a person having had face-to-face contact (≤1 metre) or having been in a closed space with a confirmed COVID-19 case for at least 15 minutes WITHOUT WEARING A MASK.
• All persons living in the same household as a COVID-19 case
• People working closely in the same environment as a case.
• Healthcare workers or other people providing direct care for a COVID-19 case while not wearing personal protective equipment.
The time period that a patient is considered to be infectious is from 48 hours before developing symptoms (or having a positive test) until 14 days after.
All close contacts of COVID-19 cases need to self-quarantine for 14 days, regardless of whether they have symptoms or a negative test result.
What does self-quarantine entail?
• Stay home. Only go out if you need medical care.
• You do not need to be tested unless you start showing symptoms.
• Monitor your symptoms – fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
• Get medical attention as soon as possible if you become ill.
• Do not go to work, school or public areas.
• Avoid using public transportation or taxis.
• Separate yourself from other people and animals in your home. If you can, use a separate bathroom.
• If you have to share a bathroom, clean after every use.
• Facemasks should be used to help prevent the spread of the disease to others. Cough or sneeze into the fold of your elbow. Alternatively, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Clean your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or with alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains 60-95% alcohol.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Clean surfaces like counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets and bedside tables every day.
• Avoid going to the kitchen at the same time as other household members and use separate utensils.
• Stay at least 1.5 metre (3 steps) away from each other.
I was a Close Contact of somebody who tested positive at work. I have no symptoms and my boss says I should have a test and come back to work if I’m negative – is this ok?
No! All Close Contacts need to self-quarantine for 14 days. If you have no symptoms, PLEASE DO NOT GO FOR A TEST! This is a waste of resources, is unlikely to show up as positive before symptoms develop, and does NOT negate the need for the full 14 day quarantine. False negatives on the PCR tests are unfortunately common, so a negative test does not necessarily mean that you are not infectious and you still need to complete 14 days of quarantine from the last contact.
If we are all practising “social distancing”, good hand hygiene and wearing masks, we will not find ourselves in situations of being Close Contacts with people outside of our family circles, and therefore will not find ourselves needing to self-quarantine. Most schools and businesses are practising these measures so that they don’t have to close down every time a student or parent is infected. If we do this in ALL social interactions, our risk of infection will be much lower.
Covid-19 – FAQs
Now that the numbers of those infected with the virus is increasing rapidly, you may be faced with these questions below. Dr Sheri Fanaroff, a past pupil of Emmarentia Primary School (1981-1985), who is now a practising GP in Johannesburg shared these answers recently.
I have diarrhoea/ a cold/ a headache / a sore throat – can I go to work/ school?
No! At the moment, while we are on the steep upward trajectory of the epidemic, anybody who has ANY symptom of illness should stay home. Symptoms of COVID are often mild and can be varied, including the above symptoms as well as fever, body pain, weakness, loss of taste/ smell, cough, shortness of breath. Should you or your child have ANY symptom, it is essential that you stay home and consult with your Doctor about whether you need to be tested for COVID. It would be irresponsible to go to work or school in this situation as you may transmit the virus and cause an outbreak. Stay home, consult your doctor about the need for testing and do not return to work or school until you have been tested (and received a negative result) or advised by the doctor and your school that it is safe to return.
My child/ spouse has a fever/ cough – they will obviously stay home, but can I go to work/ school?
No! If ANY household member has any of the symptoms described in the first question, ALL household members are possible contacts of a patient with COVID. This means that ALL household members need to stay home until the person with suspected illness has been tested or cleared by the doctor. Should the sick person receive a negative test result, then the rest of the family may return to work/ school. If the sick person turns out to be positive for COVID, the rest of the household would need to be quarantined for 14 days. It would be irresponsible for contacts of the sick person to attend work/ school and risk passing on the virus to those around them.
My work colleague/ my child’s school friend/ someone who I chatted to at the shops has just called me to say they have COVID, what must I do?
The NICD definition of a “Close Contact” includes:
• a person having had face-to-face contact (≤1 metre) or having been in a closed space with a confirmed COVID-19 case for at least 15 minutes WITHOUT WEARING A MASK.
• All persons living in the same household as a COVID-19 case
• People working closely in the same environment as a case.
• Healthcare workers or other people providing direct care for a COVID-19 case while not wearing personal protective equipment.
The time period that a patient is considered to be infectious is from 48 hours before developing symptoms (or having a positive test) until 14 days after.
All close contacts of COVID-19 cases need to self-quarantine for 14 days, regardless of whether they have symptoms or a negative test result.
What does self-quarantine entail?
• Stay home. Only go out if you need medical care.
• You do not need to be tested unless you start showing symptoms.
• Monitor your symptoms – fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
• Fill in Daily symptom monitoring form – find this here https://www.nicd.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/COVID-19-Symptom-Monitoring-tool-v7-05.05.2020.pdf.
• Get medical attention as soon as possible if you become ill.
• Do not go to work, school or public areas.
• Avoid using public transportation or taxis.
• Separate yourself from other people and animals in your home. If you can, use a separate bathroom.
• If you have to share a bathroom, clean after every use.
• Facemasks should be used to help prevent the spread of the disease to others. Cough or sneeze into the fold of your elbow. Alternatively, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Clean your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or with alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains 60-95% alcohol.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Clean surfaces like counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets and bedside tables every day.
• Avoid going to the kitchen at the same time as other household members and use separate utensils.
• Stay at least 1.5 metre (3 steps) away from each other.
I was a Close Contact of somebody who tested positive at work. I have no symptoms and my boss says I should have a test and come back to work if I’m negative – is this ok?
No! All Close Contacts need to self-quarantine for 14 days. If you have no symptoms, PLEASE DO NOT GO FOR A TEST! This is a waste of resources, is unlikely to show up as positive before symptoms develop, and does NOT negate the need for the full 14 day quarantine. False negatives on the PCR tests are unfortunately common, so a negative test does not necessarily mean that you are not infectious and you still need to complete 14 days of quarantine from the last contact.
If we are all practising “social distancing”, good hand hygiene and wearing masks, we will not find ourselves in situations of being Close Contacts with people outside of our family circles, and therefore will not find ourselves needing to self-quarantine. Most schools and businesses are practising these measures so that they don’t have to close down every time a student or parent is infected. If we do this in ALL social interactions, our risk of infection will be much lower.
17 June 2020
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Upcoming Events
Prayers at the end of Ramadan – 30 or 31 March
Prayers at the end of Ramadan – 30 or 31 March
Linden Market – 31 May – 1 June
Linden Market – 31 May – 1 June
On the lawn – concert