COVID-19 / News & Updates

All students, parents and staff members are required to self-exclude for 14 days if one or more of the following are true.

• you or a family member have visited an affected area in the preceding 14 days; 

• you or a family member have been in close contact (a distance of less than one meter for more than 15 minutes), within the last 14 days, with someone with a confirmed COVID-19 infection.

Please note, BIS students, parents and staff are not currently required to fill-out the self-declaration form. We trust that our students, parents and staff have the health and wellbeing of our students in mind and will self-exclude as required.

Action Required
Please report any absence due to the above to our head nurse,  Julia Lönker.

j.lonker@bis-school.com

At the moment all medical facilities are very busy, so we suggest you postpone appointments that are not urgent.

It is always wise to have Paracetamol and Ibuprofen at home. If you have small children, make sure you have children's dosage as well.

If you feel generally unwell e.g. headache, fever, please stay home, and rest. If needed take some Paracetamol or Ibuprofen for pain or fever. If symptoms worsen and the fever increases, always call your doctor first and ask for an appointment. 

Be aware that Influenza A & B are still prevalent, and intestinal infections have also  been reported. Please see link below for further information. Please call your doctor to ask for an appointment or advice.  

BIS is well prepared to offer online learning to students in the event of a school closure.  Please see article Online Learning @BIS for more details.

The 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is a new virus that causes respiratory illness in people and can spread from person-to-person. This virus was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China.

The exact way the virus is spread is not fully known. With similar coronaviruses (MERS and SARS) person-to-person spread is thought to have happened mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how influenza and other viruses that cause respiratory illness spread. It may also spread when a person touches a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touches his or her own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. Spread of SARS and MERS between people has generally occurred between close contacts. There is much more to learn about 2019-nCoV and investigations are ongoing.

Patients with 2019-nCoV have reportedly had mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of: fever; cough; shortness of breath

At this time, the virus is not spreading rapidly in Germany; there have only been a few cases reported. The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to the virus. There are simple everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses. These include:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick. ƒ

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.ƒ

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

• If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

If you were in China within the past 14 days and feel sick with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, you should get medical care. Call the office of your health care provider before you go and tell them about your travel and your symptoms. They will give you instructions on how to get care without exposing other people to your illness. While sick, avoid contact with people, don’t go out and delay any travel to reduce the possibility of spreading illness to others.

There is no specific antiviral treatment for 2019-nCoV. People with 2019- nCov can seek medical care to help relieve symptoms, be treated in a hospital in a highly contagious ward.

You might think swimming is a bad idea, with germs, viruses and other things floating around in the water. However, doctors tell us it's actually one of the safer activities to partake in. It is unlikely that the coronavirus can be spread through water, especially chlorinated swimming pools. Coronaviruses are also not known to be spread though the eyes. One doctor stated "Coronaviruses spread by droplets, and in a swimming pool, they're completely washed off by the sheer amount of water."