Children With COVID-19 Won't Be Removed
The Claim
Children who test positive for COVID-19 at school will be removed from their families by authorities.
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Emerging story
In August 2020, just before the start of a new school year for many students, social media users began sharing the claim. It went particularly viral on Facebook.
Misbar’s Analysis
Around the world, people have been sharing social media posts claiming that governments can legally remove children from school, test them for COVID-19, and then quarantine them for 14 days without parental consent. Misbar’s investigation has found these claims to be false.
In the United Kingdom, a video in Urdu has been released just in time for the opening of schools. It claims that sick pupils could be removed from their families without parental consent. This video has been widely shared in the city of Bradford. Dr. John Wright, of Bradford Royal Infirmary, is joining efforts to debunk the idea and says the reopening of schools is important for children and parents. A Bradford rapper has also made a video to help debunk the idea.
There is also a plan to ask general practitioners in parts of the U.K. to send a text message to their patients, assuring them that there is no question of separating sick children from their families. A news source local to the City of Bradford has also published an article reassuring parents that children will not be taken away if they show COVID-19 symptoms at school.
Similar posts have been shared in the U.S. These posts state that under the “new COVID act” children who show symptoms of COVID-19 can be tested and if found positive taken away from their families. While there is no COVID act, there is a Families First Coronavirus Response Act. This piece of legislation allows for supplemental funding for items such as nutritional waivers, emergency unemployment waivers, and tax credits for paid medical leave. It does not allow for schools to have children removed from families.
In a medical emergency, each school will have a procedure they follow. In almost all cases, parents would be called first. If a school is not able to reach the parents, medical emergency contact information is usually provided by the parents to the school instructing who to contact next. During the COVID-19 pandemic, most local health departments will be working with local school districts on what actions to take if a child is sick. An example protocol would look like this from the Minnesota Department of Health.
In all cases, if a child displays symptoms of COVID-19, they are to be sent home, not taken from their families.
