The spring semester starts as contact teaching– children and young people should only attend school in good health

The spring semester starts as contact teaching on Monday 10 January. Due to the coronavirus situation getting worse, everyone has to follow health and safety guidelines. It is especially important that a child or young person with even the mildest of symptoms remain at home until it is confirmed that they do not have a coronavirus infection.  

All pupils from grade 3 and upwards are recommended to use face masks. The schools and educational institutions have been instructed not to mix pupils and students from different groups during schooldays, and that events and fieldtrips should only be organized within the own group, with health and safety guidelines in mind.   

The health care units do not have enough coronavirus tests to meet the current needs. For this reason, the Infectious Diseases Unit will not keep track of exposures at day care units and schools or impose quarantines based on exposures in class.

The guardians are asked to inform the school of their child’s coronavirus infection as the health care authorities do not have the capacity for contact tracing. After receiving the information, the school can inform guardians of possible exposures.

If the child or the custodian of the child has an illness or condition classified by the doctor as one that predispose to severe coronavirus disease, the child has the right to distance learning. 

Instructions on what to do if you have the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on Espoo’s website.  

Children and coronavirus(external link, opens in a new window) on the THL website.