FEW children have been affected by a guideline issued last week to childcare centres, which requires those returning from a H1N1-hit country to stay home for seven days.

In a statement to The Straits Times last night, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports - which licenses 755 childcare centres here - said 78 Leaves of Absence have been issued since the guideline came into effect.

These include 66 issued to children who travelled to countries with 'sustained community transmissions' and 12 to children living under the same roof as family members on home quarantine orders.

Major childcare operators contacted said a key reason why so few children have been asked to stay away is that only a small number have been on holiday abroad with their parents.

Unlike schools, childcare centres do not have fixed holiday breaks - parents can take their children out whenever they want.

Operators say that most affected parents have been understanding about the need to keep the children away.

Marketing manager Jasmine Cheng, for instance, willingly took her five-year-old daughter out of her Cherie Hearts childcare centre upon returning from a 10-day trip to Los Angeles on Sunday.

Said the 28-year-old: 'I don't want to give the school problems.'

ANG YIYING

This article was first published in The Straits Times.