What would you do NOW if you were to test positive for Covid?

I wouldn’t test in the first place. It’s just another endemic illness now like the flu or a cold. People catch them, some people get sicker than others and there are vaccines for the most vulnerable. It isn’t a big deal and I have no idea why tests are still available.

Use common sense really and stay at home if you’re so sick you can barely move, have a fever etc.

This. The fact he doesn’t feel too bad, you were clear he still feels rough, to the extent he took a test. You can’t put the genie back in the bottle.

people react very differently to getting covid, some get no symptoms, some can be very unwell indeed. Xmas is a time where families get together, so to attend any of these events, knowing he is infectious, and he is likely to infect many people. Who will in turn infect others, who will then do the same, and dozens if not more will be unwell on Xmas morning, or unable to carry out their Xmas plans, would be an awful thing to silently do on Xmas. He needs to just stay home till Monday. Then he’s good to go.

for your freinds dinner, you need to tell them he’s Covid,that you and the kids are fine, but as it takes four days to see symptoms, you won’t know on Friday if you will have it or not and he will be still infectious, and give them the choice. I am fairly sure they will pull out. But not telling them would be awful.

I wouldn’t risk passing it on to people and ruining their Christmas.

I’ve never taken a COVID test and definitely wouldn’t start now.

If I felt unwell I would cancel, if I felt fine I would carry on as normal.

Most of the events you have listed involve many people who potentially may get infected. Unfortunately, it's a busy social time of the year with everyone at close quarters, indoors.The possibility of this being passed on is high. Personally, I would stay at home if I had tested positive.

Until he tests clear, none of it. Don't be so blasé. COVID can and does make some people seriously unwell, and I knew 3 people, (previously fit, non-smokers, no previous respiratory illness, not obese) who died from it, so just because some people shake it off, not everyone does.

Id be fuming if someone knowingly passed on an infectious illness to me just before Christmas

I would never have even considered testing. If I was feeling unwell though, I'd try and avoid getting other people ill right before Christmas.

Certainly not see the friends. If he gave them covid for Christmas and knew he had it, they’d be rightly fuming. At least tell them so they can make a decision (to cancel). He needs to stay at home if testing positive.

None. With Covid or flu you should be staying home until you are no longer contagious, even if you feel ok, the person you pass it to may not be so lucky. Anyone who does not do this is selfish.

Hand sanitizer won't stop you inhaling viral particles. Wear an FFP2 mask that's tightly fitted to avoid catching an airborne virus (flu and RSV and measles also all airborne, just like COVID).

See my previous response, COVID takes a few days to build sufficient viral load to be detectable. If you suspect you have COVID but get a negative, keep testing every couple of days and assume you have it.

On the other hand, flu viral load builds rapidly so flu rapid tests work well on days 1-3 of symptoms.

You should isolate as you are likely infected and keep testing every few days (other family members too).

Remember that rapid tests can show false negatives. It takes a few days for viral load to build to detectable levels so even if you test negative don't rule out COVID, keep testing every 2-3 days for a fortnight. Once you've got a positive, isolate till you get a negative.

If you absolutely have to go outz make sure you are wearing a well sealed FFP2 mask. Any bagginess in the mask and viral particles will escape.

COVID is far more transmittable than a cold, it is second only to measles in terms of infectiousness. It's airborne so merely being in the same room as an infection person is enough to infect you, as you will be breathing in their exhaled viral particles.

COVID is also very different to a cold in terms of the lasting sequelae on your body. Immune system dysregulation, vascular damage, cognitive damage, heightened risk of auto immune disease, organ damage, these are all things that happen post-infection and that are bearing out in NHS data since 2020.

He should absolutely do none of those.

He should isolate from the rest of the hh, open windows for ventilation because COVID particles flat in the air to infect others, mask up with a tightly sealed mask and the rest of you should assume you are all infected if you've done none of the above. So you should all isolate too.

COVID is NOT the flu or a cold. It leaves a lasting mark on your body, causes cognitive damage, immune system dysregulation (leaving you more susceptible to all the other viruses and bacteria and fungal infections around), increases risk of stroke and heart attack (it's a vascular disease) and ultimately should never knowingly be spread.

Please do the right thing.

Test for covid! I had to check if this was a zombie from 2021
I would do everything if I felt well, and none of them if I felt unwell.

Is he actually feeling well enough to do any of these things? No matter what illness it is, that's the first consideration.

What symptoms does he have? Vomiting/diarrhoea, he shouldn't be going anywhere. Fever? Stay home. Infectious and frequent/uncontrolled coughing? Stay home. Stuffy nose/sore throat/head cold? If he feels ok, that's less likely to be a problem.

Is he aware of anyone he may come into close contact with at these events who is elderly or immunocompromised, as that could play a part in which ones he might choose to attend or not.

We all tested in work a few months ago when something was going around the store. We all had the same symptoms at the same time yet only some of us tested positive for Covid. We took the tests from the shop floor and after that I do question the accuracy of them.

This

I would expect both of you to stay home
I couldnt knowingly ruin other people's Christmas'

I wouldn’t do any of the things on your list

If I tested positive for Covid then of course I wouldn’t mix with other people in any of the situations you've mentioned until I had a negative test. I would expect my partner to test to see if he had been infected. The last time I had Covid I tested positive for ten days, and my husband and I stayed in separate rooms for the whole time. I wouldn’t have dreamt of mixing with other people and spreading it to potentially vulnerable people or their relatives. I would feel exactly the same if I had flu.

I would test each morning, and behave accordingly. Even if you've caught it, a -ve test means you're unlikely to be infectious if not showing symptoms.

He should stay away from other people.
You can carry on as normal if you don’t feel like you’ve got it, but I’d be avoiding the vulnerable.

None of them. Firstly because passing it on might mean that someone catching it spends Christmas alone/ill, and secondly because going out when you are ill into groups of people is a supremely selfish thing to do at any time of the year. Some people have no rights to sick pay or are self employed or have ill or pregnant relatives and willfully spreading your germs makes you a bit of a dick in my book.