To think this is unfair? Covid related

It's no good being sensible with that one.
COVID denier and anti-vaxxer since 2020.
Best just to ignore.

The reaction to a global pandemic caused by an unknown virus was not hysteria.
Scientists worked hard to find its etiology, who were most vulnerable, how to treat those infected and to develop a vaccine.
Hindsight has of course taught us many lessons which will be taken into the next pandemic.

Now the pandemic is over and we know more about it, we can "live with the virus".
People who are vulnerable or are in contact with the vulnerable are still testing.

I didn’t know that,@DaizyDee - that is shocking.

Seriously, it’s everywhere at the moment. You could just have easily have caught it from anyone else.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius
"Now I know that long covid is not common, "
Actually it's very common. Roughly 2 million have it in the UK. That's one in just over 30 people. That's a massive amount! And as you say, can affect literally anyone

My employer did pay full sick pay for colleagues if they were tested positive or been asked to self isolate. Plus didn’t count towards sickness % or times. This stopped 2 years ago.

I believe you got Covid from another person as it takes 5-6 days from contact to becoming unwell. Shopping? Eating out? You may not never know.

With my employer and many others there is a sickness policy where if you hit a certain % or three separate periods of sickness, you get a disciplinary. Those who are on their second or know that the next time they are on the sick, they try to be a martyr. As don’t want the stress of a disciplinary meeting etc. Those who have a medical condition, they are more lenient or if had time off for something serious such as broken bones. But have to go through the disciplinary just to tick boxes for HR to show that management did follow protocol.

Plus for some people they only get SSP as not worked long enough for the employer or company does not pay sick pay. SSP is £116 a week.

Most people don’t test anymore as refuse to pay for tests.

testing isn’t stupid. I test. I’m not going to compromise my vulnerable colleagues health, or her very old aged mother.

to echo the poster a few comments previous, your test wouldn’t show positive after being in contact with someone less than 24 hours previous. In every case I’ve had, it’s taken at least 2 days minimum but 3 at the most. I have the pain of teaching adults who seem to not care if they are showing symptoms. I’m glad their class seems to be more important than the health of myself and my vulnerable child, and my self employed income.🙄

Really sorry to see your story there @SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius
I hope that things will eventually get better for you .

@Smokedcheesyballs so sorry you have got Covid and passed it to your DH - and yes if your colleague felt so unwell, she should probably have stayed home, but she didn't break the law and it might have been because she couldn't afford to stay off or a number of other reasons. However, as she knew she had Covid, it was very selfish of her, regardless

However, it is much more likely that both you and your colleague contracted it from someone else with Covid, rather than that you got it from her to be fair. Usually takes around 3 days or so to come down with the symptoms - not around 24 hours. Lots of people can have it and not know, unfortunately. I was one a year ago who had almost no symptoms at all and the minor stuffed nose I had for less than 24 hours I thought was just my allergies. Only tested because my husband had developed a dreadful head cold/cough and I was contacted by someone I had spent a couple of days with on our way from home for a funeral who said she had covid.

I hope your DH can get anti-virals since he is clinically extra vulnerable

This.

I think it's incredibly selfish to knowingly expose others to illness, whether it be covid or something else.

This is also true!

Depends on the work policy OP.

If we have Covid and we're well enough to work, we have to go in.

Same as any other illness.

Lockdown is over.

Like a previous poster, I have Long Covid - I had covid in the second wave, and was hospitalised with low oxygen sats. I wasn’t ventilated and didn’t need intensive care - in fact, I didn’t really feel particularly unwell - I’ve had colds that made me far more miserable. But none of these colds have left me permanently affected, to the extent where I cannot stand for more than a few minutes - the length of a quick shower - I can’t walk any distance (walking from the loo back to the couch leaves me breathless), doing anything leaves me shaking with fatigue, and my brain is so foggy I find myself searching for simple words.

I wasn’t vulnerable, when I got Covid, or particularly unhealthy, but long covid has ruined my life, and even now, years on, the effects have not got any better - on bad days, I think they never will. I have reached the point of seriously considering applying for PIP and a blue badge, because I am pretty damn sure this evil disease has left me disabled.

Now I know that long covid is not common, but that isn’t the point I am making. What scares me is how bloody random it is - someone can be in reasonable health, and have a not-too-severe dose of covid, and can be crippled by long covid. I can’t think of another common, relatively mild illness that can so randomly cause long term disability in previously healthy individuals.

You didn't get COVID from your colleague. Minimum 2 days after exposure before symptoms (average of 5) and definitely wouldn't test positive within 1 day!

I think you did the right thing. Someone else might not have that choice though.

If you think your boss thinks you're slacking, sounds to me that that's where the blame lies. If you work within a culture like that then it's understandable your colleague felt the need to go into work so the boss didn't think she was slacking. No point blaming our colleagues if our employers create this sort of environment.

@S0livagant the first time I had covid I had no choice but to take 10 days unpaid off work. Well I suppose I could've gone into work, just not told anyone I had covid, and more than likely killed half the elderly and vulnerable people I looked after, but I'm not a selfish fucker so I took the loss of 10 days pay. This time when I had covid I was back at work after the 5 days incubation period. I still wore a face mask though when I went back.

YANBU. Your colleague is a selfish thoughtless person. She should at least have been wearing a mask.

I hope you are OK and I hope your DH doesn’t suffer - your colleague is so so selfish. I’d be very angry with her.

This is a really callous post. The vaccines don't and can't protect people with no immune system from communicable diseases; that's what common decency is for. Still, I suppose OP should just cross her fingers that her husband doesn't get wiped out by this entirely preventable infection.

It's not 2020, no. It's 2024, Covid is still very much out there killing people, and it's still incredibly selfish and stupid to spread it knowingly.

@Boomer55

I am very sorry to hear about your husband and I'm sorry you have to read posts by some unfeeling & ignorant posters 💐

None of us is immortal you know. We're all going to die one day. Let's try to live without fear in the meantime. We cannot control the actions of others, it's exhausting and futile try. We can only control our own actions.

People who go to work with a bit of sniffles are not breaking the law and if they are well enough to work, their employer is entitled to expect them to do so.

There is no obligation to test for covid and - as far as I'm aware - there is no way for the general public to test for colds or 'flu, so most people wouldn't know what was causing their sniffles. It could easily be hayfever at this time of year.

However much you want it to happen, without legislation you can't force anyone to restrict their lives.

I hope you get well soon. At least you will have a boost of immunity for a while. ❤️

@GlitteryUnicornSparkles

that is a disgusting policy, but especially when you work with vulnerable people. Can you report them to a higher authority!!

@Ponderingwindow

if only all workplaces were like that!!

However, I guess your employers trust the staff, many do not & with good reason.