Track and trace question

[Hugglespuffed]

Realistically how will this work? How are employers going to cope if we have to self isolate for 14 days every time we have been in contact with someone ?

[dementedpixie]

Contact only counts as >15 minutes within 2 metres of someone so it's not just from passing by or a very short contact time. 14 days is a long time though and I could imagine going from one lot of isolation into another would be disruptive in the workplace

[Lemons1571]

Still, you can easily stand next to someone for 15 minutes at 1.9m in a supermarket queue?

[UnderTheBus]

They have tests now so I thought it wouldnt be 14 days, just however long it takes for you to get tested. Or have I misunderstood?

[TakemetoGreeceplease]

I've been thinking the same, never mind employers, as an employee and lone parent there is no way I will be able to afford to self isolate every time I come into contact with someone, unless the government want to pay me to stay at home, I mean who the hell can live on SSP? Plus after last weekends shitshow they've got a cheek telling anyone without symptoms to stay home since it's fine for goverment advisors to go on days out whilst infectious!

[dementedpixie]

I suppose outdoor supermarket queues are less risky than being close to someone indoors.

[stuckindoors77]

Will it effectively make us severely restrict our social activities then, without actually being locked down? Because if you are repeatedly having to self-isolate then your employer might want to have a conversation with you about the number of times you've put yourself in risky situations.

[Heatherjayne1972]

It’s Ridiculous
I work in a dental practice Up close and personal for 30 mins at least With 16+ patients every day - some of which have joint appointments with other clinicians in the building on the same day
Are they actually going to trace all our patients if one is infected and didn’t know ?

It sounds good. But totally impractical

[Thighmageddon]

You'd get tested though, possibly multiple times if necessary.

[Hugglespuffed]

Thanks for input. I am a nanny and word for 4 (soon to be 5) families. So my worry is I'll spend more time self isolating than not. And actually I shouldn't have to not socialise with my friends for fear of having to self isolate often.
I did wonder about getting tested quickly but I thohght the incubation period was 2 weeks. Hence 14 day isolation. It just seems impractical!

[scaevola]

If the Tube and buses get crowded, ths will be a problem for commuters

You will still have to isolate for the incubation period, so earlier testing won't shortening what is required of you as a hazardous contact.

If people follow their instincts and go out when theynshoyod be isolating, then the whole system fails.

So businesses will need to,continue to facilitate WFM to the maximum extent, and I think schools will,have ypto lookmat continuing parallel learning (also needed for shielded pupils) else thee will never be a class even approximately at the same place ever again (well not for quite a while - depends on when test/track can safely be discontinued)

[Weepinggreenwillow]

I also don't understand how this will work. I'm an NHS clinician. We are just starting to see people face to face again. I would normally spend over 15 mins in a room with a patient, no hands on contact but not always 2m apart. I am wearing pipe, not sure if that alters things. I can see around 15 patients a week. If I have to isolate for 14 days any time one of them gets COVID 19 I will be having a lot of time off. Fine by me, not sure my NHS trust would agree though.

[Weepinggreenwillow]

Wearing ppe, not a pipe 😂

[stuckindoors77]

I shouldn't have to not socialise with my friends for fear of having to self isolate often.

Well, we will all have to limit our close contact socialisation for the foreseeable future to stop the spread. That's the whole point isn't it?

Limit doesn't mean stop all together, it means going out once a week rather than every night, it means maintaining social distance rather than sitting squashed together, it means choosing a park over a crowded pub, a takeaway with friends rather than a restaurant.

We all have a responsibility to cut down our social interaction to a certain extent to stop the spread of the pandemic. I sort of thought that was understood now?

[Hugglespuffed]

Yes i understand that @stuckindoors77
I was more responding to your point about your employer might want to have a conversation with you about the number of times you've put yourself in risky situations. when most of my interactions are at work. I would like to have a small bubble outside of work to socialise with..mental health is crazy at the moment.

[Hugglespuffed]

and i think previous posters on this thread have hit the nail. Dentists, doctors, nursery workers etc etc... are all in close contact with people all the time. I just can't see this working at all.

[kimlo]

I think the hope is that the levels in the community will be so low that it wont happen often, and it will stay low because people will be in the house rather than passing it on before they become ill.

But for it to work people will have to follow it when someone rings up and tells them they have to and not refuse to download the app because they keep being told to self isolate because they sat on the same bus as somone.

The only way people are going to follow the advice is if some one checks up people to see where they are and with fines for not doing so. People don't follow the self isolation advice if they are feeling ok and can't afford to drop to ssp, or if their work place is funny about absence levels and beleive that you are never too ill to work.

[99victoria]

It assumes you have your phone on you at all times as well. Lots of workplaces where this isn't practical or allowed

[Sleepyblueocean]

"Will it effectively make us severely restrict our social activities then, without actually being locked down"

It will for us. I would rather do that than have to keep ds in the house for repeated 14 days at a time. We will be avoiding being around other people as much as possible for the foreseeable future.

[Hugglespuffed]

It is difficult though isn't it. By all means bring out fines but people can't afford to be on SSP for a long period of time.

[Hugglespuffed]

so there will have to be a way to make sure people aren't in financial difficulty!

[Deelish75]

I think a person needs to test positive before their contacts are traced, that's my understanding in reference to the schools going back.


Persons A & B have close contact for 15 mins.
The next day Persons B & C have close contact for 15 mins.
Person A then tests positive and self isolates for 7 days.
Person B is then contacted and told to self isolate for 14 days.
Person B then develops symptoms and request a test.
Person B tests negative and comes out of isolation.
Person C is not contacted.

[stuckindoors77]

when most of my interactions are at work. I would like to have a small bubble outside of work to socialise with..mental health is crazy at the moment.

I think though that everybody having small, socially distanced meet-ups with friends and family wouldn't result in call after call telling you to isolate. What are the odds that all of your social circle will independently come down with it?

I think the people who end up having to isolate more than once will be those who constantly head towards packed beaches, pubs and shopping centres. If that was the case and you expected compensation because you'd spent every evening and weekend sitting in crowds. Then I think your employer would be within their rights to ask you to be a bit more circumspect.

I'm not saying that people need to hide indoors altogether.

[pennylane83]

*Realistically how will this work? How are employers going to cope if we have to self isolate for 14 days every time we have been in contact with someone ?

Can you imagine come October/November when cold and flu season is fully underway the amount of times people are going to have to take 2 weeks off work to self isolate because someone has reported the symptoms of a bug (think the nasty, very similar to covid19 illness that was doing the rounds at Christmas). Surprise surprise, the reporters test comes back negative but all those people they have been in contact with still have to isolate for 14 days 'just in case'. I can't see employers being prepared to put up with that.

[Hugglespuffed]

penny they only contact you to self isolate if the person has tested positive.