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AIBU?

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Original poster

Corona faker?

150 replies

bmbonanza · 27/02/2020 09:01

A person at work has been on holiday abroad - Thailand - has come back and elected to isolate because they say they may have been in contact with someone with Corona. They have no symptoms but have self signed off for 2 weeks (paid) meaning others are having to do their work. they are posting on FB etc about how they are doing their decorating and catching up with stuff in their two weeks. Their 'sick' record is poor but apparently this wont count against them. can we all just do this?

OP posts:
ErrolTheDragon · 27/02/2020 09:44

Well, maybe they're being sensibly cautious but if ^ it turns out doing their decorating and catching up with stuff^ involves trips to B&Q then they're taking the piss.

PhoneTwattery · 27/02/2020 09:46

Totally taking the absolute píss.

Original poster
bmbonanza · 27/02/2020 09:46

To clarify - not work that can be done from home, he shows no signs, and the person who he was - allegedly - in contact with only shows generic signs of cold/flu not confirmed Corona.

Apparently you can self cert for two weeks for this. This persons sick record is poor anyway, lots of occasions when everyone thinks he is swinging it but cant prove it.

What is to stop us all having 2 weeks signed off fully paid holiday at no detriment to our sick record just because we 'might' have been in contact?

OP posts:
ErrolTheDragon · 27/02/2020 09:47

Messed up italics for quoting in that, sorry.
Anyway, best give them the benefit of the doubt unless there's evidence that they're not actually self isolating.

bluetongue · 27/02/2020 09:48

The advice isn’t for all travellers to South East Asia to self isolate. I’ve recently travelled to Asia and have a had cold symptoms and still have a cough. Apart from one day which I took off as sick I’ve still been going to work.

Doggodogington · 27/02/2020 09:48

You’d really want to have two weeks where you can’t leave the house? That’s pretty committed. I would be glad he has self isolated.

JustInCaseCakeHappens · 27/02/2020 09:48

he shows no signs
that's irrelevant, if he was waiting to have signs, it would be far too late.

All the CF will jump on that excuse, no one is going to be surprised about that.

maddening · 27/02/2020 09:49

A chap at my work returned from Italy and has been informed by the NHS to self isolate - we can work from home though so no real impact.

woodchuck99 · 27/02/2020 09:49

What is to stop us all having 2 weeks signed off fully paid holiday at no detriment to our sick record just because we 'might' have been in contact?

It would be the fact that we don't all want to go on holiday somewhere with a high risk of Corona just so we can have a couple of weeks off.

JustInCaseCakeHappens · 27/02/2020 09:50

You’d really want to have two weeks where you can’t leave the house?
like a "staycation"? I've never had one, as long as none of us is genuinely ill, I would love that!

House re-organised, spring-cleaned, family time, lay-ins in the morning... What's not to like?

If we are ill, not so much.

Doggodogington · 27/02/2020 09:51

bluetongue wow, how amazing you are Hmm
If you did have it, you may have just passed it on to a coworker who has passed it on to their child who has already got underlying health issues. But it’s good you are still working yeah. Soldier on.

HomeMadeMadness · 27/02/2020 09:52

To be fair if they're self isolating because they may have caught the disease but aren't showing symptoms they may as well do their decorating. I think they should just follow government advice so if the region they travelled to is higher risk and they're meant to self isolate they should do. It would be selfish to still go to a high risk area on holiday then obviously need to self isolate though.

JustInCaseCakeHappens · 27/02/2020 09:53

It would be the fact that we don't all want to go on holiday somewhere with a high risk of Corona just so we can have a couple of weeks off.
but the point is, you don't need to go abroad, see how many declared cases are in the UK already.

WorraLiberty · 27/02/2020 09:53

What is to stop us all having 2 weeks signed off fully paid holiday at no detriment to our sick record just because we 'might' have been in contact?

You've said that a couple of times now.

If you're really that keen on the idea of staying indoors for 24 hours a day for a fortnight, then just get on and do it.

But it still wouldn't prove whether your colleague is lying or not.

HundredsAndThousandsOfThem · 27/02/2020 09:55

What is to stop us all having 2 weeks signed off fully paid holiday at no detriment to our sick record just because we 'might' have been in contact?

Well of course you should self isolate if you might have been in contact with the corona virus. Otherwise it will spread really quickly and many more people will die. It's selfish to knowingly put yourself in a situation where you might come into contact with it but after that's happened then you'd be selfish not to follow government advice. Your colleagues having to work harder is irritating but someone actually possibly dying is obviously much worse.

LuluJakey1 · 27/02/2020 09:55

DS1(5) and DD (3) have children (same family) being kept at home from their school and nursery because of being on holiday at a ski resort in Italy at half-term.
It makes sense to be safe.
I do take your point though.We could all have passed someone in the street, sat next to them on public transport, passed money between us in a shop, or picked up clothes, books or whatever in a shop from someone who is carrying the virus. Should everyone stay at home for a fortnight?
Many of us will get it probably and may never know- it is apparently very mild in most people, like a cold. The worry is it spreading and reaching the most vulnerable - the elderly, already ill, small children. That is where it will cause the most serious cases. None of us have any immunity to it yet.

Original poster
bmbonanza · 27/02/2020 09:57

"It would be the fact that we don't all want to go on holiday somewhere with a high risk of Corona just so we can have a couple of weeks off."
They didn't - they had alleged contact with someone who had been abroad.

'If you're really that keen on the idea of staying indoors for 24 hours a day for a fortnight, then just get on and do it.'

You can go out, just not out of your own house/garden and not in contact with others - although this persons family are in the same house and there is no suggestion that he is isolated from them. I would be totally fine with that but it seems immoral to do it.

OP posts:
JustInCaseCakeHappens · 27/02/2020 09:57

Many of us will get it probably and may never know- it is apparently very mild in most people, like a cold.

Apparently, hopefully it's true. Just like the flu too...

DameHannahRelf · 27/02/2020 09:58

bluetongue, I work in a place that gets a lot of elderly customers, who have elderly spouses, and sometimes even older parents they visit. These people are already susceptible to pneumonia, though thankfully most already have flu jabs at least.

I think we'd have signed you off for two weeks, just in case. Surely it's not worth the risk? Fourteen days is nothing in the grand scheme of mostly same shit, different day.

NcFortuna · 27/02/2020 09:59

But... But... there is WORK to be done! Sigh.

Original poster
bmbonanza · 27/02/2020 10:00

CLARIFY TO POST ABOVE WHICH DOESNT READ RIGHT

  • they did go on holiday abroad but were only allegedly in contact
OP posts:
Cherrysoup · 27/02/2020 10:01

2 weeks off in many jobs would be horrific! Police, NHS, education-huge impact on colleagues. My boss was in Thailand over half term and is in this week.

LilQueenie · 27/02/2020 10:01

if they have been though an airport then its possible they have had contact with the virus.

Bunnyfuller · 27/02/2020 10:02

I think our government is taking a risky path in advising self isolation only if showing symptoms. Thailand is one of the countries on the ‘list’ so therefore we have to assume they may have been in contact.

I also think we’re chancing it saying 2 weeks when it’s been seen that the (infectious) incubation period may even be longer.

I think we’ve moved well into the delay phase now, and containment is almost redundant.

mindproject · 27/02/2020 10:02

I work as a long-term temp of nearly 2 decades. Someone in my office just came back from Asia and has returned to work. I was told yesterday by my supervisor that I could get sent home for 2 weeks with no pay because I had a short conversation in the office with that person.

I think employers need to step up and tell their workers that if they are making them stay at home they will still pay them. If I choose to stay at home then that is completely different and I shouldn't be paid.