Covid etiquette now?

[Rainallnight]

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?

I'm in Ireland. If I had symptoms I would test (tests have never been free here) and if positive I would follow government advice and self-isolate.

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

I'm talking about the people who only stay home because they test positive, rather than because they're actually unable to work.

"margotrose
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……"

Yes if they were too ill to work. And sometimes not even then.

But on threads like this, the expectation is to stay away from work if slightly ill. That's great jn theory but in practice, between many inky getting ssp, and companies own sickness policy meaning staff often face sanctions if off sick too much, a lot people just don't have the luxury of being off if not really poorly.

whether you’re allowed to spread covid or not I feel is irrelevant, a friend is currently in hospital with blood clots from it. I would feel awful if I had been the one to go “oh it’s only a cold, I’ll still go and not take any precaution” and had been the one to give it to her! I don’t test for flu but flu is obvious, you’re in bed for 2 weeks and unable to go about your normal life spreading it. Noro you’re at home on the toilet hugging a bowl and then stay home 48 hours after the last vomit. Covid is different in that some people can carry on as normal, spread it and kill someone.

how do we marry that with the fact that NHS staff are now expected to go to work with it? (see posts upthread).

I hate testing and won't fork out money for them. If I had symptoms of flu or covid I would self isolate for a few days as much as possible. Maybe 4 Days then wear mask for 10 days afterwards. That's all.

I don't work due to another serious illness I'm in treat!ent for so I am able to self isolate to an extent. I realise not everyone has that luxury so no judgment from me.

It scares me so much! Honestly makes me scared to access health care. Apparently at my hospital though 1/3rd of doctors were off last week with covid

Exactly this.

But none of that is true @DaisyDreaming .

You can be an asymptomatic carrier of flu.
You can have a mild case of flu that presents as no worse than a minor cold.
You can have a cold that leaves you bedridden for a week.
You can have norovirus that's only one or two episodes of vomiting.

You can, in many cases, carry on as normal with flu, colds, norovirus - just as you can with Covid.

I don’t test for flu but flu is obvious, you’re in bed for 2 weeks and unable to go about your normal life spreading it.

That is simply not true. People often think it's true and therefore will say things like "the only time I had flu I couldn't get out of bed" but in reality, they probably weren't tested for flu that time, and also won't have been tested for flu the many times they've had a virus but not been bedbound.

You can have mild flu, and asymptomatic flu.

Think flu, give yourselves 4000ug vit d, quercetin and zinc and enjoy a boosted immune system where you dont get colds/flu/hayfever because thats what I started taking 2 yrs ago and havent had any since. I used to get several.colds a yr and flu every december!