# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Covid Response Plan September 2021 harcourt terrace etns (1)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
DoE letter to Parents re Antigen Testing 25.11.2021 EV

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
COVID-19 is an illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It's caused by a virus called coronavirus.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
COVID-19 is an illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It's caused by a virus called coronavirus.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Back to school advice for parents, students and families

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Returning to Primary Schools Junior Infants to 2nd Class - Advice for parents

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The importance of schools for the overall health and wellbeing of children cannot be overstated, and the risk of COVID-19 has been carefully weighed against the very real harm that can be caused by sustained school closures. Schools play a fundamental role in the social life of children; they are where children are educated, make friends, share interests, learn social skills like self-confidence and empathy, and participate in sport and cultural activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Open letter from Acting Chief Medical Officer to parents & guardians of school children and to teachers and affiliated school staff

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The importance of schools for the overall health and wellbeing of children cannot be overstated, and the risk of COVID-19 has been carefully weighed against the very real harm that can be caused by sustained school closures.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Wellbeing advice and resources for parents, students and school staff during COVID-19

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What we mean by fully vaccinated against COVID-19

You are fully vaccinated:

7 days after your second Pfizer/BioNTech dose - also known as 'Comirnaty'

15 days after your second AstraZeneca dose - this vaccine may be called 'Vaxzevria' or 'Covishield'

14 days after your second Moderna dose - also known as 'Spikevax'

14 days after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine 'Janssen' - this is a single dose vaccine

If you develop symptoms of COVID-19:

Do these even if you are fully vaccinated.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What we mean by fully vaccinated against COVID-19 You are fully vaccinated: 7 days after your second Pfizer/BioNTech dose - also known as 'Comirnaty' 15 days after your second AstraZeneca dose - this vaccine may be called 'Vaxzevria' or 'Covishield' 14 days after your second Moderna dose - also known as 'Spikevax' 14 days after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine 'Janssen' - this is a single dose vaccine Do these even if you are fully vaccinated.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If you have any common symptoms of COVID-19 (coronavirus), self-isolate (stay in your room) and phone a GP straight away. Your GP will tell you if you need a free COVID-19 test.

Read about how to get tested for COVID-19.

Other people in your household will need to restrict their movements (stay at home).

Common symptoms

Common symptoms of COVID-19 include:

You may not have all of these symptoms. It can take up to 14 days for symptoms to show. They can be similar to symptoms of cold and flu.

An early diagnosis from your GP means you can get the help you need and avoid spreading the virus, if you have it.
Call the emergency services on 112 or 999 if you are very short of breath. For example, if you are so short of breath that you cannot complete a sentence. How to manage symptoms of COVID-19 at home
Compare symptoms of COVID-19, flu and cold

If you are in doubt about any symptoms you have, phone your GP. They will discuss your symptoms with you and advise you on any steps you may need to take.

When a fever could be something else

Some people may get a mild fever for a couple of days after they get the flu vaccine. This is normal.

Fever is also a symptom of meningitis.

Contact your GP straight away if you have a fever and other symptoms of meningitis:

severe headache

stiff neck

sensitivity to light

Related topics
Minding your mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic How COVID-19 is spread Protect yourself and others from COVID-19
Last updated: 13 January 2021 at 4.50pm

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you have any common symptoms of COVID-19 (coronavirus), self-isolate (stay in your room) and phone a GP straight away. Your GP will tell you if you need a free COVID-19 test. Read about how to get tested for COVID-19. Other people in your household will need to restrict their movements (stay at home).

# data[].attributes.body
Department of Education and Skills
718 subscribers
Cleaning Induction 14 08 2020

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If your child is a close contact of a person who tested positive for COVID-19 (coronavirus), there's a chance that they may have COVID-19 too.

What they need to do depends on what age they are and if they:

have symptoms of COVID-19

have had their first round of COVID-19 vaccine, or not

are a household or non-household close contact

have add a booster vaccine or not

Your child will be told by the HSE that they are a close contact. If your child is under 16 years of age, you will be told that they are a close contact.

What do household and non-household close contact mean?

You are a household close contact if you:

live or sleep in the same home as a person who has tested positive

use a kitchen or bathroom in shared accommodation with a person who has tested positive

You are a non-household close contact if you and someone who has had a positive PCR test have been within 2 metres of each other for more than 15 minutes in total in 1 day.

When someone tests positive for COVID-19, their close contacts include people they were in close contact with in the:

48-hour period before they developed symptoms

24-hour period before their test, if they did not have symptoms

It does not include people they saw briefly and did not touch. For example talking to someone for a few minutes more than 2 metres apart.

What do 'first round of COVID-19 vaccine' and 'booster dose' mean?

When we say 'first round of COVID-19 vaccine' we mean your dose 1 and dose 2 if you got AstraZenca, Moderna or Pfizer/BionTech COVID-19 vaccines, or your single dose if you got the Janssen vaccine.

If you have a weak immune system, you should have been offered an ' additional dose ' as an extension of your first round of covid-19 vaccines to give you better protection. This is because your immune system may not respond well to vaccination. You will still need a booster dose after this.

A ' booster dose' is the extra dose of COVID-19 vaccine used to give better protection to people who have already had their first round of COVID-19 vaccination.

How long does it take COVID-19 vaccines to work?

For your booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine it takes 7 days for it to work.

For your first round of COVID-19 vaccines it takes:

7 days after your second Pfizer/BioNTech dose for it to work

15 days after your second AstraZeneca dose for it to work

14 days after your second Moderna dose for it to work

14 days after the Janssen single dose vaccine for it to work

Children under 13 years old

Children under the age of 13 are generally only identified as a household close contact. If your child is a household close contact, follow the advice on this page.

Children under the age of 13 who are in contact with a confirmed case of COVID 19 in a non-household setting do not need to restrict their movements or get a PCR test unless they are told to by the HSE or they have symptoms of COVID-19.

They can attend school, childcare and other activities as normal.

They may be offered free antigen tests if there:

is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in their pod

are 2 or more confirmed cases of COVID-19 in their group or class in different pods within a 7-day period

If your child has symptoms of COVID-19 they need to:

What to do if your child is a close contact

If your child is a close contact, follow the advice below that matches their age and their situation:

Age 12, household close contact and vaccinated

Here's what you need to do if your child is aged 12, a household close contact and has had their first round of COVID-19 vaccine.

Testing

Your child needs to get a COVID-19 PCR test.

You will get a text message with a link to a website where you can provide your child's details. When you have done that, you will get a text message with your child's PCR test appointment details.

Your child will need to do 2 PCR tests. The second test will be 10 days after their last contact with the person who tested positive.

Restricted movements

Your child needs to restrict movements (stay at home) for 14 days. They should do this from when they were last in contact with the person who tested positive. If you do not know when this was, do this from when you get the close contact text message from the HSE.

They can stop restricting their movements if they do not have symptoms and get a negative PCR test result 10 days after their last contact with the person who tested positive for COVID-19.

Age 3 months to 12 years, household close contact and not vaccinated

Here's what you need to do if your child is aged between 3 months to 12 years, a household close contact, and has not had their first round of COVID-19 vaccine.

Testing

Your child needs to get a COVID-19 PCR test.

You will get a text message with a link to a website where you can provide your child's details. When you have done that, you will get a text message with your child's PCR test appointment details .

Your child will need to do 2 PCR tests. The second test will be 10 days after their last contact with the person who tested positive.

Restricted movements

Your child needs to restrict movements (stay at home) for 14 days. They should do this from when they were last in contact with the person who tested positive. If you do not know when this was, do this from when you get the close contact text message from the HSE.

They can stop restricting their movements if they do not have symptoms and get a negative PCR test result 10 days after their last contact with the person who tested positive for COVID-19.

Age 12, non-household close contact and vaccinated

Here's what you need to do if your child is aged 12, a non-household close contact and has had their first round of COVID-19 vaccine.

Testing

Your child does not need to be tested if they do not have symptoms.

Restricted movements

Your child does not need to restrict their movements (stay at home) if they do not have symptoms. They can go to school and other activities as normal.

We may ask your child to restrict their movements and get a PCR test in certain situations. For example, due to an outbreak. We will let you know. Always follow public health advice.

Age 3 months to 12 years, non-household close contact and not vaccinated

Here's what you need to do if your child is between 3 months to 12 years old, is a non-household close contact and has not had their first round of COVID-19 vaccine.

Testing

Your child does not need to be tested if they do not have symptoms.

Restricted movements

Your child does not need to restrict their movements (stay at home) if they do not have symptoms. They can attend school and other activities as normal.

We may ask your child to restrict their movements and get a PCR test in certain situations. For example, due to an outbreak. We will let you know. Always follow public health advice.

Age 13 or older, any close contact and not vaccinated

Here's what you need to do if your child is aged 13 or older, a close contact of any kind, and has not had their first round of COVID-19 vaccine.

Do this even if your child tested positive for COVID-19 in the past.

Testing

Your child needs to do 5 antigen tests with 2 days between each test.

If any of your child's antigen tests are positive, or if they start to develop symptoms, they need to isolate (stay in your room) and get a PCR test.

Restricted movements

Your child needs to restrict your movements (stay at home) for 10 days. They should do this from when they were last in contact with the person who tested positive. If you do not know when this was, do this from when you get the close contact text message from the HSE.

Age 13 or older and had first round of COVID-19 vaccine but no booster

Here's what you need to do if your child is aged 13 or older, is a close contact of any kind, and has had their first round of COVID-19 vaccine but has not had a booster dose.

There is different advice if you have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 3 months.

Testing

Your child needs to do 5 antigen tests with 2 days between each test.

If any of your child's antigen tests are positive, or if they start to develop symptoms, they need to isolate (stay in your room) and get a PCR test.

Restricted movements

Your child needs to restrict your movements (stay at home) for 10 days. They should do this from when they were last in contact with the person who tested positive. If you do not know when this was, do this from when you get the close contact text message from the HSE.

Age 13 or older and got their booster less than 7 days before the close contact text

Here's what you need to do if your child is aged 13 or older, is a close contact of any kind, had their booster less than 7 days before they got the text message saying they are a close contact.

There is different advice if you have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 3 months.

Testing

Your child needs to do 5 antigen tests with 2 days between each test.

If any of your child's antigen tests are positive, or if they start to develop symptoms, they need to isolate (stay in your room) and get a PCR test.

Restricted movements

Your child needs to restrict your movements (stay at home) for 10 days. They should do this from when they were last in contact with the person who tested positive. If you do not know when this was, do this from when you get the close contact text message from the HSE.

Age 13 or older and got their booster more than 7 days before the close contact text

Here's what you need to do if your child is aged 13 to 18 years old, is a close contact of any kind and had their booster more than 7 days before they got the text message saying they are a close contact.

Testing

Your child needs to do 3 antigen tests with 2 days between each test.

If any of your child's antigen tests are positive, or if they start to develop symptoms, they need to isolate (stay in your room) and get a PCR test.

Restricted movements

Your child needs to restrict your movements (stay at home) for 5 days. They should do this from when they were last in contact with the person who tested positive. If you do not know when this was, do this from when you get the close contact text message from the HSE.

Age 13 or older, had their first vaccine round and had a positive PCR test in the past 3 months

Here's what you need to do if your child is aged 13 or older, is a close contact of any kind, has had their first round of COVID-19 vaccine but no booster and has had a positive PCR test in the past 3 months.

Testing

Your child needs to do 3 antigen tests with 2 days between each test.

If any of your child's antigen tests are positive, or if they start to develop symptoms, they need to isolate (stay in your room) and get a PCR test.

Restricted movements

Your child needs to restrict your movements (stay at home) for 5 days. They should do this from when they were last in contact with the person who tested positive. If you do not know when this was, do this from when you get the close contact text message from the HSE.

If your child has symptoms of COVID-19

If your child is a close contact and has symptoms of COVID-19, what you need to do depends on if they are under 13 or over 13.

If your child is over 13 and has symptoms of COVID-19, follow the COVID-19 testing advice for adults.

If your child is under 13, follow this advice:

Testing

Your child needs to get a PCR test by selecting the link in the close contact text message from the HSE and completing the form to request a test.

Isolation and restricted movements

What your child needs to do

Your child needs to self-isolate (stay in a room) if they are aged 13 or older as soon as you notice symptoms of COVID-19.

It's not possible to ask children under the age of 13 to isolate on their own. But you still need to isolate them from other people.

Your child needs to stay in isolation at least until they get their PCR test result.

If your child gets a negative result, they can stop isolating 48 hours after they have no symptoms.

If their test result is positive, they should keep isolating until both of these apply:

they have not had a high temperature (38 degrees Celsius or over) for 5 days

it has been 10 days since they first developed symptoms

If your child tested positive but did not have symptoms they can stop isolating 10 days after the date of their PCR test.

What the people your child lives with need to do

Everyone your child lives with will need to restrict their movements at least until the child gets their PCR test result.

If the PCR test result is negative, everyone they live with can stop restricting their movements and return to their normal activities as long as they do not have symptoms.

If the result is positive, the people they live with need to continue to restrict their movements and get tested for COVID-19.

How long they will need to do this and what tests they will need will depend on their COVID-19 vaccination situation. Read advice on what the people your child lives with need to do depending on their situation

Special education and respite care

Close contacts of all ages in special educational needs schools or classes and respite care need to:

They are usually only offered 1 test.

Public health doctors identify close contacts in these settings. A contact tracer will phone you and tell you what you and your child need to do.

Babies under the age of 3 months

If you have a baby under the age of 3 months, phone your GP for advice if they are a close contact.

Caring for a child who is isolating

If you are looking after a young child who is isolating, it will be difficult for you to isolate from them.
Read about caring for someone who cannot self-isolate
Last updated: 3 January 2022 at 2.15pm

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
If your child is a close contact of COVID-19

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If your child is a close contact of a person who tested positive for COVID-19 (coronavirus), there's a chance that they may have COVID-19 too.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Wellbeing advice and resources for parents, students and school staff during COVID-19

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Protecting your privacy

The Health Service Executive (HSE) owns and runs this website. The HSE collects and uses certain information about you when you use any of the HSE’s online services. Our website uses cookies and other related technologies such as pixels, beacons or tracking technology. We will use the terms “cookies” to refer to all similar technologies. The cookies might collect information about you, your preferences or your device. The information may not directly identify you, but it might and this is why you can choose not to allow some of the cookies to be used. The more information we have about the content you view on our website, and how you interact with it, the better service we can provide when you visit us online. We have grouped our cookies into categories, listed below. We’ve tried to limit the impact and where you choose not to give consent then this may affect your experience on our website. For more information read our Cookie Statement and our Privacy Statement.

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Always Active

Strictly necessary cookies make our website work. These cookies are essential for you to browse the website and use its features, such as page navigation, accessing secure areas of the site and complying with data protection and electronic privacy legislation. We can set these cookies without needing your consent as they are essential. The list below contains the cookies most commonly used on HSE websites. Other strictly necessary cookies may be set on some specific HSE services.

Analytical Cookies

Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies collect information about your use of our website, for example which pages people go to. They are essential in measuring what are the most frequently visited pages and to make sure that the website works as it should for users. The data collected by the cookies are all anonymised and aggregated. We will get information about what county your device is in, what type of device you are using, how long people stay on website pages and how many website pages that you visit. We don’t capture any information, like IP addresses, demographics or your interests, so none of this information can be used to identify you. We don’t ask for your consent to set these cookies as the information is being tracked anonymously, however you can opt-out.

Functional Cookies

Functional Cookies

Functional cookies remember the choices you've made and collect information about how you use our website.

YouTube Cookies

YouTube Cookies

These cookies are used to enable embedded YouTube video to be played on our website. They can also collect anonymous data about your web browser to display targeted advertising to you across the Web - these are called “YouTube cookies”

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get advice about COVID-19, including symptoms, testing, vaccination and self-isolation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Lead Worker Representative Induction   14 08 2020

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Back to school advice for junior infants to second class

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If your GP decides that you do not need a test

If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you will be asked to stay home until you have had no symptoms for 48 hours. You should behave as if you have the virus and self-isolate (stay in your room). People you live with will need to restrict their movements.
What to do if you are a close contact Treating COVID-19 symptoms at home
Limitations of testing for COVID-19

No test is 100% accurate. All tests have limitations. This is the same with the test for COVID-19.

The test will find the virus in most people who have symptoms. But in some cases it may not pick up that you have the virus.

Some test samples may go missing or we may be unable to identify a patient. This can happen in a very small number of cases due to human error. All steps are taken to prevent this and every effort is made to trace samples to patients.

Serial testing

Serial COVID-19 testing is a measure to test certain groups of people who do not have an infection. It is repeated regularly, sometimes weekly, on a voluntary basis.

Serial testing is offered as a precaution to people in certain settings where infection is more likely to occur. For example, certain workplaces or facilities, such as meat factories, residential care facilities or direct provision centres.

If you are being serial tested, you can go to school or work as normal unless you develop symptoms of COVID-19 or get a positive COVID-19 test result. In these cases, you should self-isolate (stay in your room) and your close contacts should restrict their movements.

Tests for people who have travelled to Ireland and want to exit self-quarantine

If you travel to Ireland from a non-designated state you must self-quarantine for 14 days after you arrive. You can end the self-quarantine 14 days after you arrive or by having a PCR test with a negative result (COVID-19 not detected) at least 5 days after you arrive. If you have a test, continue to self-quarantine until you receive a negative test result (COVID-19 not detected).
Read about travelling to Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic and self-quarantine on the gov.ie website
Last updated: 21 June 2021 at 9.45am

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you will be asked to stay home until you have had no symptoms for 48 hours. You should behave as if you have the virus and self-isolate (stay in your room). People you live with will need to restrict their movements.