This is outrageous

[MadameBee]

DS was contacted by the council through the track and trace to be informed that he had been in a bar where there was a person who has tested positive for C19.

I took DS for a test (I had seen him anyway after he had been exposed) and we were both tested. He was positive and I was negative but obviously I am now isolating for 14 days.

DS works for a large national company (think call centre) and he is going into the office with others who are unable to WFH.

Rather than doing the responsible thing and sending everyone DS has been in contact with on full pay they have covered it up and sent a couple of people home but not told them why, leaving all the others blissfully unaware that they have potentially been exposed.

Luckily DS just seems to have mild symptoms and most of them are young but that is not the point at all here is it? I am actually quite shocked and fairly sure this breaks H&S laws.

You self-isolate if you have been with a positive person in a situation without social distancing.

Where is this from? Not the NHS page on when you need to self isolate.

You self isolate when you’ve been told to by track and trace, someone in your household/support bubble has symptoms/positive test or you yourself have symptoms/positive test.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/when-to-self-isolate-and-what-to-do/

Shop them. The country needs their fines.

My DS had to be tested and self isolate after a customer developed symptoms. All the workforce that were on that night had to and they put it in the local paper. A few weeks later a member of staff( not connected to first incident) tested positive and the same thing happened. Track and trace did not ask for the details of people there even though he told them he had it all. Luckily the way he has organised the staff he can pull one bubble off and replace with another. The work conditions are difficult to keep two metres or even one at times but they have lots of precautions in place. So far no other staff have tested positive from either occasion.

Who told him to have a test @Bowerbird5?

I am back in the office and people aren’t really social distancing all the time

Why ever not? If it's because the employer hasn't made it possible, it needs to be raised with H&S, and with HSE if they don't get their act together. If it's because staff are acting like dicks, they need to be told by management to get their shit together and start acting like adults.

It's no bloody wonder that the R-rate is now 1.7, according to Imperial College and Independent Sage if this is how things are in the workplaces we're all supposed to be flocking back to.

The staff might be mostly young but some might have high risk underlying conditions, like diabetes or hypertension. There's also the risk of Long Covid.

I wonder if in a situation like this, where there's a company coverup. If a vulnerable employee ended up very ill or dying from Covid, could they or bereaved relatives sue the company?

Track and trace only know what they are told. My DS’s best friend is currently isolating because a close friend tested positive. They had definitely NOT practised social distancing, including sharing a small car for more than 30 minutes without masks or open windows.

She didn’t tell anyone about him and several others because they had all been breaching the guidelines and didn’t want to get them in trouble! Fortunately, she did tell those involved herself and they have now acted responsibly.

I saw my son in between him being exposed and track and trace contacting him (he was doing nothing wrong being in a bar btw).

He had symptoms and he was unable to get a test locally and wanted to be tested as he lives in a house share with people who are on zero hours contracts, wanted to celebrate his bday this week and he does not have a car.

Does this answer everyone’s questions?!

I got tested (I was allowed to and rod for the criteria hence they tested me!) as I have to do home visits as part of my job and am a key worker.

Oh and he was phoned by track and trace while he was at work ......

It would be a breach of your son's privacy for his employer to tell any staff about what is ultimately a medical condition. It sounds like they've done as much as they can to keep the workplace secure, by identifying and sending home the one person they think may have been exposed.

It's the contact tracer's job to tell that person that they have been in contact with a confirmed case, and they do that without revealing the identify of the infected person.

On the contrary my employer (LA) have bloody told everyone which I am quite pissed off about actually.

My manager (who is new to the team and doesn’t really understand my role or confidentiality) put in her online diary “discussion re Madame Bee Covid”. Everyone in the LA can see that. I also asked her not to discuss it with another manager and she did anyway!

They are allowed to break your confidentiality when it’s public health at risk.

He shouldn't have been in close contact with anyone in the office - they should be social distancing and the workplace should be Covid secure.

They would not send home everyone in his office - only those considered to be at risk if social distancing and other measures haven't been followed correctly or where distancing wasn't possible.

They should of course being telling those staff why so they can also take measures to self isolate as a close contact of a positive case.

You should report his employer to your local council's Public Health team.

Oh and it's Test and Trace. Sorry but lots of misunderstanding of the system being shown above.

From the employer guidance:

"Employers may need to keep staff informed about COVID-19 cases among their colleagues. However, employers should not name the individual. If a co-worker is at risk because of close contact with the positive case, then they will be notified to self-isolate by the NHS Test and Trace service. Employers should make sure their workplaces are safe by regular cleaning and by encouraging good hygiene practice."

www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-test-and-trace-workplace-guidance

confused your unhappy that your sons employer didn't tell everyone. Your employer told everyone and you are unhappy about that
do they or don't they tell?

My employer have told people that didn’t need to know as they haven’t seen me never mind been in the same office as me, it’s public knowledge.

My sons employer have been almost secretive and are potentially putting people at risk.

The contact tracer makes the decision on who needs to self isolate.
Those who need to isolate are told they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive.
They do not tell the close contact who the positive case is though.
If your son's employer is not operating a Covid secure workplace, he (or you) can report them to the public health team.

I realised when I took him that O might end up in this situation.

I am only in my early 40s, so I am quite low risk.

@MadameBee
Hopefully the discussion in your office was about how you had abused the Covid testing symptom and reminding your colleagues not to do the same. You do not get tested if you are in contact with a positive case you simply isolate. If you later develop symptoms and therefore become eligible for testing you must remain in isolation for the full 14 days even if such a test is negative.

@StatisticalSense

I did not abuse the system.

I am a key worker 👍🏻

Part of my job is doing Child Protection visits.

One of the criteria for a test is being a key worker.

Madam Bee, I didn’t know that re: testing. I’m not a key worker, not have I had any reason to try to get tested, so no reason why I should I suppose.

But it does go to show how easy it is to (mis)judge others when not knowing the full facts.

The stupid thing about the track & trace is that you could be in a bar where someone tests positive but be 20 metres away from them & never come in contact with them, get notified that someone has tested positive & have to isolate anyway. Until they get the app working that measures how close you are to the person who tests positive people are going to be in & out of isolation, you could have to isolate one week, go back to work, go out the next weekend & the same happen again.

Why has it taken so long for the app?
I don't understand. Other countries had it back in March!

I think track and trace guidelines are something like being less than 2m distance from someone, without PPE, for 15 minutes or more.

It may have changed now though, I can't keep up with the guidelines and rules.

Surprised social distancing isn't being drilled into you at your workplace if you are a keyworker, what have happened if you had tested positive? You and all your colleagues would have to isolate/work from home for 2 weeks cos you've not bothered to keep a bit of distance in the office? In my workplace we're being reminded constantly to not get to close to each other on breaks etc, as we'll be screwed if track and trace take us all out at the same time.

You're being a bit unreasonable to complain about your son's employer when you're not really sticking to the roolz either. But hopefully your son's workplace has been social distancing so no need for them to isolate people.