False positive for coronavirus sends 50 children, parents into quarantine

The kindergarten team as well the children's parents have been informed that they may return to their everyday activities.

By MAARIV ONLINE
An Israeli woman and a child sit at a playground near a kindergarten surrounded by concrete blast walls on the first day of the school year in Nahal Oz (photo credit: AMIR COHEN)
An Israeli woman and a child sit at a playground near a kindergarten surrounded by concrete blast walls on the first day of the school year in Nahal Oz
(photo credit: AMIR COHEN)
Thursday evening, hours after the parents of some 50 children had been told to go into self-isolation, the Tel Aviv area health department reported that the teaching assistant diagnosed with a coronavirus infection was actually a false positive test reading.
The preschool staff and parents were informed that they may return to routine.
"I'm glad to inform you that there was an error in the coronavirus test results and the teacher is not sick," said Tzipi Bernad, the Tel Aviv deputy mayor in charge of pediatric care. "I'm glad to inform that the Health Ministry has announced [that parents can] return to [their normal] routine. We will continue to stay alert and maintain all guidelines, but the preschool may open as usual tomorrow."
Parents were called to pick up their children. Several of them chose to have their children tested for the virus, too, to ensure they were not infected.
The teacher's aide was sent home after showing symptoms of coronavirus, including a high fever. Nonetheless, parents brought their children to school, only to be informed soon after that they needed to retrieve them. The preschool manager said she waited to receive the aide's results before informing parents and asking them to get their kids.