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Original poster

Covid etiquette now?

112 replies

Rainallnight · 08/10/2023 19:52

What is Covid etiquette these days?

Very few people in our area are testing, and school is letting kids in with positive tests, as long as they have no temperature.

We are testing and three out of four of us have it. DS very poorly and has been all week. Hasn’t been able to go to school and I’ve been home away looking after him. Haven’t tested DD yet - she sounds like she’s got a cold so probably has it too.

On one hand, I don’t want to isolate if we’re the only idiots doing it.

But on the other, it feels irresponsible to just go round the place giving people Covid.

But then, given no one where we are is testing, everyone is probably going round giving each other Covid anyway.

You can see I’m going round in circles with this.

Tell me, what are you doing?

OP posts:
Jeffjefftyjeff · 09/10/2023 08:41

DS got it from college (where ‘Noone is testing or staying at home if ill’). We tested because DS sees elderly grandparents daily. This meant he didn’t see my Dad before his holiday so I feel this is a good outcome 😊. DH now has it and is quite poorly. He doesn’t get sick pay (well only SSP). I’m not sure if there is a definitive right or wrong but feel ok with our choices. Nb you can get a box of 5 tests for just over a 6 quid on Amazon

Toddlerteaplease · 09/10/2023 08:45

I'm a nurse. We are not testing. And if we do, and are positive, we have to go in if well enough. Though all my colleagues who've had it recently, have been quite unwell with it.

OceanicBoundlessness · 09/10/2023 08:46

welshweasel · 08/10/2023 22:56

Frontline NHS here. Our policy is stay home if you have a high temperature (but don't test), otherwise come to work if you feel well enough. If you do happen to test and it's positive, then you can still come to work so long as you feel well enough.

So basically we're back to how we did things pre Covid. It does feel weird though - I had it again last week and spend all week in work trying not to get too close to elderly patients (pretty unavoidable if you want to do your job properly).

May I ask why the focus on the high temperature?

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Covid-19
welshweasel · 09/10/2023 08:59

Who knows! I guess maybe there's a theory you're more infectious with a temperature or something.

WeWereInParis · 09/10/2023 09:00

We aren’t testing either. DH is a teacher and has had covid on and off since September, he can’t be off every single time

What do you mean he's had it on and off since September? That was only last month, how can he have it "on and off"? And how do you know if you aren't testing?

margotrose · 09/10/2023 09:10

All these people who stay home for days every time they test positive- how can you afford it?

AngelsWithSilverWings · 09/10/2023 09:14

DD's school sent an email out asking parents to keep DC at home if showing any symptoms of Covid and to test if possible. They've said there has been a worrying increase in cases. It's a private school so not as obsessed with 100% attendance as state schools ( DS's state school very much expecting everyone to go in unless too unwell but I'd certainly keep him home if he tested positive )

DH's work ask staff to work from home if they've tested positive.

We do still test due to DD being immunosuppressed. We get free test kits.

Shadyboots23 · 09/10/2023 09:14

margotrose · 09/10/2023 09:10

All these people who stay home for days every time they test positive- how can you afford it?

My work allows us to WFH. They don't want us in if we have covid so we can WFH or obviously be off sick if not well enough to work

margotrose · 09/10/2023 09:19

I do wonder how many people would stay home for days if they couldn't WFH or didn't get paid for it.

Lightningrain · 09/10/2023 09:28

We work from home if possible although don’t test for COVID. It just seems like the right thing to do if you can - there’s nothing worse than being in the office or on the train watching others coughing/sneezing/touching everything after wiping their nose. Illness used to spread like wildfire at work and it definitely seems like there’s much less of that now. I appreciate it’s not an option for all however. If we didn’t have the option we’d have to do what we did before and go in if well enough to work.

We also try and keep away from others as much as we can when poorly. I caught an awful cold just before Christmas two years in a row which wasn’t fun. I’m always conscious now of the potential impact on others.

I do know a couple of people that have had COVID recently and it seems to be more severe than cold symptoms. I wonder if the virus is evolving again and the new strains are worse. I haven’t knowingly had it but I know 3 people with long COVID (all were fit and healthy before and two of them caught it after the jabs) so it’s always in the back of my mind that nobody knows how badly they’d be affected by it.

Superscientist · 09/10/2023 09:36

After seeing my uncle have blood cancer twice in my childhood and my nurse mother come from home a shift strip off in the kitchen so she could put her uniform straight in the wash and then she had a bath before coming to kiss us goodnight as she was fearful of passing on infectious disease from her ward I have been always very careful about not making others sick. I have always stayed at home if potentially infectious and COVID was no different.

My work place has the same approach thankfully after a bad dose of the flu took out half of the office over a 3 week period and as a result the remaining staff were rather stressed trying to keep up with reports due. Since then they have had the policy that if you are ill stay at home. If you can work from home either you are well enough or you are able to work from home -pre covid a lot of us didn't have the ability to work from home do so. If you can't work from home stay off sick. They would much rather us in work and fully functioning rather than doing subpar work because you are trying to work when sick.

My daughter is a toddler so she goes in with a light snotty nose or a mild cough. A collection of symptoms usually results in a day at home. She's only had 3 or 4 days off in the last year though

volunteersruz · 09/10/2023 09:40

If the majority of the population is not going to receive a booster jab then in some ways it’s better for a wave to go round now rather than in the midst of winter when the flu season is at its highest….you don’t want to be getting flu plus Covid at the same time. At least if you get some antibodies now it might carry you through this season . Personally I think the govt should make Covid vaccines available to purchase for non-vulnerable groups as at least this gives people more choice.

Zebedee55 · 09/10/2023 09:48

Please bear in mind that Covid can still make people extremely ill.

My DH died of it in April. 🙁

x2boys · 09/10/2023 10:01

Many people have no option but to work Covid or no Covid ,even my sons special school who have some extremely clinically vulnerable children say to send children in if they are well enough

x2boys · 09/10/2023 10:03

Lightningrain · 09/10/2023 09:28

We work from home if possible although don’t test for COVID. It just seems like the right thing to do if you can - there’s nothing worse than being in the office or on the train watching others coughing/sneezing/touching everything after wiping their nose. Illness used to spread like wildfire at work and it definitely seems like there’s much less of that now. I appreciate it’s not an option for all however. If we didn’t have the option we’d have to do what we did before and go in if well enough to work.

We also try and keep away from others as much as we can when poorly. I caught an awful cold just before Christmas two years in a row which wasn’t fun. I’m always conscious now of the potential impact on others.

I do know a couple of people that have had COVID recently and it seems to be more severe than cold symptoms. I wonder if the virus is evolving again and the new strains are worse. I haven’t knowingly had it but I know 3 people with long COVID (all were fit and healthy before and two of them caught it after the jabs) so it’s always in the back of my mind that nobody knows how badly they’d be affected by it.

Not everyone had the option to work from home .

x2boys · 09/10/2023 10:06

margotrose · 09/10/2023 09:19

I do wonder how many people would stay home for days if they couldn't WFH or didn't get paid for it.

That's it ,on these threads its always the people who.are able to work from home congratulating themselves for doing the " right thing"
Many people don't have to.option to work.from home and don't get paid If they don't work.

AGAbaker · 09/10/2023 10:20

I would say if your child is not well enough to go to school, then keep them off. Just a sniffle? Send them in.

Testing is unnecessary. How would you have behaved pre Covid?

StrictlyComeback · 09/10/2023 10:26

I wonder if the most recent round of covid has been more severe as it is a while since everybody had boosters so immunity is waning?

Lightningrain · 09/10/2023 10:31

@x2boys my post says ‘I appreciate it’s not an option for all however. If we didn’t have the option we’d have to do what we did before and go in if well enough to work’.

The OP asked what everyone was doing if they had symptoms of COVID and I answered the question 🙄

thecatsthecats · 09/10/2023 10:38

My rule (as with souch in life) is that you can offer to do things your way, but you can't insist others do the same. Just tell people so they can make their own decisions and make your own by your rules too. And you can offer to break official rules but you shouldn't ask someone else to.

E.g. my friend was happy for my covid-infected husband and I to visit when she had a five day old newborn - we were not, so didn't go until later. She pushed, but we weren't happy to risk infecting her or the baby.

My ex-boss asked us if someone would give him a lift when it was against the rules - rude behaviour because it put people in an awkward position.

MIL chose to visit us without saying that she had COVID, because she missed us and wanted to see us = frankly, utterly stupid, because it put us in the infection zone for a shared family holiday!

VeridicalVagabond · 09/10/2023 10:38

My work provides free tests so I'm testing if I've/family have got symptoms.

I had it last week, I just worked from home and didn't go out for anything non-essential, which is what I'd do if I had a cold or anything else infectious anyway. My daughter and husband seem to have iron immune systems because I keep getting it and neither of them have ever caught it from me, so they just carry on as normal every time I get it.

Nishky32 · 09/10/2023 10:41

margotrose · 09/10/2023 09:10

All these people who stay home for days every time they test positive- how can you afford it?

I am lucky enough to work from home if needed- when I had it last month I was well enough to work.

I test because my dad has terminal heart failure and absolutely does not need any further respiratory issues. The logical part of my brain tells me there is no need to test as I should stay away from him if I have a cold anyway….

Nishky32 · 09/10/2023 10:42

margotrose · 09/10/2023 09:19

I do wonder how many people would stay home for days if they couldn't WFH or didn't get paid for it.

Before COVID people did if they were too ill to work……

Nishky32 · 09/10/2023 10:44

Zebedee55 · 09/10/2023 09:48

Please bear in mind that Covid can still make people extremely ill.

My DH died of it in April. 🙁

I am so sorry for your loss xx

HoppingPavlova · 09/10/2023 10:44

Household not testing. If someone is sick with anything, including likely Covid, then we just manage it like we always have. Does the person need supportive meds like ibuprofen, is the person too sick to go to uni/work. The only time we would test if if someone was so sick they needed to go to hospital, that hadn’t occurred so no testing thus far. It’s the new normal, can’t stop normal life for this anymore.

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