Would you take the test?

[Inoneminute]

You're feeling really rubbish, you know it's likely you've got CV but you're not ill enough to need any medical care.

To have a test you have to leave your home/bed and then you'll get a call from PHE asking you to identify any contacts, who will then have to self isolate for 14 days, even without symptoms. Some of those people will lose money by having to take time off work.

Or you could stay at home and self isolate 7/14 (?) days until you're well, as per the previous guidance and avoid any bad feeling from the people you "stitch up" and cost money.

What is to be gained for the individual in taking the test? I know, greater good etc, but I'm not sure the public is in that kind of mood anymore. How do we make sure the people who need it actually bother having a test so their contacts can be traced?

[Inoneminute]

No one? Oh dear!

[Chillipeanuts]

Yes, of course.

[JassyRadlett]

What is to be gained for the individual in taking the test? I know, greater good etc, but I'm not sure the public is in that kind of mood anymore. How do we make sure the people who need it actually bother having a test so their contacts can be traced?

Not getting stuck in a second lockdown because too many people took the self-centred option.

Not losing your family’s means of paying the bills because the economic downturn was more severe, and recovery slower, because restrictions have to be reintroduced.

Being able to go straight back into work and into the community after a negative test, and sparing your family the need to isolate.

[Squiffyyy]

You might cost them money and a bit of a headache, you equally might cost them a loved one should they be asymptomatic and spread it on. I would want to know if I've been in contact with someone with CV.

[Reallybadidea]

Would you want to know if someone you'd been in contact with had developed coronavirus? I certainly would so that I could minimise my contact with the rest of my household before I was even infectious and hopefully prevent them getting sick. And some of my work colleagues are vulnerable so I really wouldn't want to infect them, because they might die.

[DamitJanet]

Seriously? We’re in trouble if this is a common attitude.

[Inoneminute]

Will you or you contacts have to live on £80pw or less Sqiffy? That's the bit I'm struggling with.

I'd comply too, my contacts would be professional people little affected, but we know there's a huge section of society for whom this will be really hard and, like it or not, they've just been told that it's perfectly OK to bend the rules, if you consider it necessary for the sake of you family's wellbeing. I know not everything should have to come back to that, but it must have an impact?

[porktangle]

In the NHS this has been our life since lockdown started. Isolate - test - return or continue. It's not difficult. Why would you risk everything so far and isolating your household for 14 days unnecessarily? That's ridiculous. Of course I'd get a test.

[Inoneminute]

Also, getting the test involves leaving the house with symptoms. How do you get the test if you don't drive or are too unwell to drive?

[Inoneminute]

You've been paid though porktangle, as you should be, but that's not the case for everyone.

The contacts won't get a test unless they have symptoms, they'll just be told to isolate for 2 weeks and that could happen to the same individual repeatedly.

[savehalloween]

Look at STD contact tracing. Infinitely more embarrassing / personal / sensitive and yet people do it.

When talking about hypothetical arguments it's easy to think like this, but if you tested positive and knew you had possibly infected a handful of people you know, I'm sure you would want to tell them.

[NaturalBlondeYeahRight]

I think I had it at the beginning of lockdown but tests were not available to general public then. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to not know if that was it or not. Why would you not test yourself? This is how it will eventually be controlled.

[ineedaholidaynow]

Test and trace appears to work in other countries. We need something to get this country back up and running.

[LizzieMacQueen]

I don't understand why they are not testing the 'contact' group unless they have symptoms. We all know plenty will be asymptomatic.

That aside, if I was told I'd been in contact with someone who goes on to be shown to be positive then I'd say I have symptoms (loss of smell being the easiest) and get myself a test.

[Reallybadidea]

I don't understand why they are not testing the 'contact' group unless they have symptoms.

But when would you test them? We don't know exactly when they will start shedding virus after exposure, so you'd have to test them every day until you got a positive result or the 14 days were up. Would you want to be swabbed every day? And even if they're asymptomatically infectious, the whole point is that they're self-isolating so won't be infecting anyone else.

[porktangle]

Everyone has been crying out for track and trace to be in place before lockdown lifted / schools back and now it's in place, everyone is moaning about it. 2 week isolation through track and trace is classed as sickness absence under usual process. It's not going to be constant as there is much less in the community now.

I don't understand how people thought it would work when they were crying out for it? Would you prefer constant lockdown? What do you actually want?

[JassyRadlett]

That aside, if I was told I'd been in contact with someone who goes on to be shown to be positive then I'd say I have symptoms (loss of smell being the easiest) and get myself a test.

Which would be pretty pointless if you were at the early stage of infection but not yet at the point where a test would be positive.

[ky07]

Aren't they going to extend testing to contacts too? Its inworkable if you don't test contacts, as you will have people having to isolate for 2 weeks multiple times.

[Hagisonthehill]

If you don't have a test will you be paid for taking the time off?

[CodenameVillanelle]

Of course I would - I'd rather know whether I actually need to self isolate or not! If it comes back negative you can go about your business.

[ky07]

Actually just realised testing contacts is not possible at such an early stage. All I have to say then is that this is why the R rate needs to come right down so that your likehood of encountering someone is low. How many people will isolate without symptoms more than once on sick pay. Not many.

[Reallybadidea]

Only 0.25% of the population is thought to be currently infected. If you maintain social distancing then I'd have thought that the chance of coming into close contact with someone in the 2 day window before developing symptoms is pretty low. The chance of this happening more than once is lower still.

[ky07]

@Reallbadidea Yeah, the point is I don't think everyone will maintain social distancing. I think the mood of this country is fast losing interest. We'll see how well it works soon enough. I don't have a crystal ball, maybe for once it'll actually be a successful, clear, well functioning measure with full support of the population! I'm past giving a toss either way.

[Mrhodgeymaheg]

This idea will not work unless people will be paid where employers only give SSP and employers can't count having to self-isolate against the employee in disciplinary proceedings, or it will be ignored. Another flawless idea from the government

[halcyondays]

How easy is it to get a test now? If you had to drive for it I can’t drive and
If DH took me then he would be put at risk of catching it and he’s vulnerable. So unless you could get a home test I wouldn’t. I may possibly have already had it but this was when they weren’t testing everyone so can’t be sure. And people who do drive but are too ill to would want home tests.

We already have track and trace here in NI, no app, they just phone you if someone who’s tested positive has identified you as a contact. I don’t really go anywhere.

If people have been at a party or something illegal would they get into trouble if they admitted this when naming contacts?

Apparently the R number inNI has moved slightly since they started To ease restrictions.