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Original poster

Would you socialise with others while a member of your household was awaiting a PCR test result?

79 replies

LordOfTheThings · 04/09/2021 18:34

Or would you be happy to socialise with someone who had a household member waiting for a result?

Straw poll please. Yes or No for both.

OP posts:
Tooembarrassingtomention · 05/09/2021 00:35

Yes

EmeraldGreenVelvet · 05/09/2021 00:42

I wouldn't, no.

MissTrip82 · 05/09/2021 00:59

No, I wouldn’t socialize.

Don’t really understand the ‘no point’ brigade. It’s not an either /or. You don’t have to either lock yourself alone in a bunker or else commit to running down the street licking everyone you encounter. It’s ok whilst waiting for a result to reasonably reduce your interactions with others by not doing things you don’t have to do.

80sMum · 05/09/2021 01:15

Yes, I would certainly socialise with someone whose family member was awaiting a test result.

If it were the other way around, I would advise the person of the situation and let them decide whethet they want to socialise with me or not.

Boxme · 05/09/2021 01:48

No, I wouldn't be happy in your situation either. You can't completely protect yourself but you can avoid it the best you can still.

I similarly wouldn't be happy if to meet up with a friend who had a sick bug in their house. It's not nice and I'll avoid if I can!

liveforsummer · 05/09/2021 08:09

@LordOfTheThings

I'm probably being silly but it's really upset me. I work in a school and am stressed about it all anyway, I just thought she would have at least let me know.
I understand why you're annoyed and the rules seem insane but working in a school, you're going to be with people day in day out who have covid positive family members in their household as dc under 18 do not have to isolate as contacts. (Nor will your colleagues if they are vaccinated)
Fubitch · 05/09/2021 08:13

I think catching it in the workplace is different to a friend putting you at potential risk when you're vulnerable. You've just finished chemo ffs. This is so selfish and it would affect my friendship. Also I think living with someone is different to being a general close contact.

Piggy42 · 05/09/2021 08:15

I think your friend wasn’t technically wrong according to government guidelines, but that’s an awful thing to do to someone. Hope you stay well OP

ejhhhhh · 05/09/2021 08:15

No!

FusionChefGeoff · 05/09/2021 08:15

No - I really think household of positive or potentially positive cases should keep themselves to themselves as much as is practical. Work - fine, essential shopping etc - fine. Socialising - no!

MrsLargeEmbodied · 05/09/2021 08:17

no

Alpenguin · 05/09/2021 08:20

No I would not socialise either someone who lived with someone waiting for a pcr test - I’m
Immunosuppressed and the vaccine doesn’t work well with my medication so I’m still at very high risk.

I’d be so angry with your friend OP if she was aware of you having recently completed chemotherapy. It takes quite a while for your immune system to catch up to normal after chemo and she should have known better.

That said you cannot know who is in the same places as you, whether they’re following rules, whether they’re vaccinated or whether they’re positive - this is a risk the vulnerable are now having to navigate daily if they want any kind of life and the healthy don’t give a shit about clinically vulnerable any more as long as they can get back to normal themselves.

MrsLargeEmbodied · 05/09/2021 08:26

my dd had positive lft and while booking a pcr i had to leave work and go home,
so , socialising would be risky
who knows who is double jabbed?

UrgentHelpforFriend · 05/09/2021 08:30

No I wouldn't and wouldn't be happy to mix with people in that situation but this is exactly what the government is asking us to do, we no longer isolate unless we have covid ourselves

EmmaGrundyForPM · 05/09/2021 08:39

I wouldn't - I cancelled a date with a friend on Friday as her daughter had had a positive PCR. Didn't want to risk it.

Given your circumstances and the chemo, your friend is being a that. She should have told you and given you the choice.

However, this will be an ongoing issue as people living with someone who has tested positive are expected to go to work - they won't get sick pay if they isolate. Its wrong in every way.

Rockbird · 05/09/2021 08:48

No I wouldn't and I wouldn't meet someone in that situation either. I'm another one who works in a school and so am doubtless coming across this situation every day which makes me very stressed tbh.

And not telling you and giving you the choice was a shitty thing for your friend to do.

ProfSprout · 05/09/2021 08:50

I might because I’ll be doing it at work anyway but would certainly let anyone I was meeting with know in advance and expect them to do the same to me…plus wouldn’t be upset / offended if they then decided not to meet.

UrgentHelpforFriend · 05/09/2021 09:26

Rock bird, fabulous isn't it! When students come in with symptoms anyway or get sent in 🙄.

Now isolation is removed, we can't ask or make them to do LFT!!

kowari · 05/09/2021 09:32

Yes, provided they were not elderly or vulnerable. Anyone else, I would let them know the situation beforehand and it would be up to them.

Yes, I would socialise with someone in the same situation.

shmashing · 05/09/2021 09:32

No

LakeShoreD · 05/09/2021 09:36

Yes but I would be really clear to whoever I was meeting and only meet them if they were definitely ok with it. If they weren’t then we would rearrange and no hard feelings. I would also take LFT test.

Yes I’d be happy to meet someone but if everyone is vaccinated but we’re fortunate that no one in our household has any health worries.

In your circumstances I’d be livid that they didn’t tell me and give the option to rearrange. Absolutely unforgivable.

greenlynx · 05/09/2021 09:46

No and no.
I know that you are not required to isolate by rules in this situation but surely we should apply common sense. As someone mentioned above that it’s not like we want this person to stay in a bunker, just to cut some contacts.

Your friend was wrong, OP, but I wonder if she’s thoughtful and considerate to issues like this in general. My DH has a friend who is talking rightly and always saying to DH that of course we will meet only outdoors and you need to be careful and so on but in reality he’s always breaking rules here and there, he’s just not a cautious person. DH was very careful with meeting with him throughout the pandemic.

Original poster
LordOfTheThings · 05/09/2021 10:32

I understand why you're annoyed and the rules seem insane but working in a school, you're going to be with people day in day out who have covid positive family members in their household as dc under 18 do not have to isolate as contacts. (Nor will your colleagues if they are vaccinated)

This feels different though @liveforsummer because it's just part and parcel of going to work really. It's not 'deliberate' if you know what I mean?

OP posts:
Hobnobsandbroomstick · 05/09/2021 10:43

I wouldn't leave my flat to socialise if my boyfriend was waiting for results from a PCR test. They come back within 48 hours so it's not that hard. I work in a hospital, and our trusts guidelines are different to the governments: we still have to isolate for 10 days if a member of our household tests positive, even if we are double jabbed.

I would be very annoyed if I met a friend who was waiting for someone in their household to have a PCR test result, and they didn't tell me about it. It would not go down well with my manager, and I have vulnerable family members who I see.

Hobnobsandbroomstick · 05/09/2021 10:46

Though it's only if it's a member of our household who is positive that we have to isolate. If it's contact with someone outside our household, then we need to do a risk assessment with our manager and do daily lateral flow tests, and may be allowed to continue coming to work (think it depends on staff shortages).