Up to £10,000 fine if you refuse to self isolate

[chomalungma]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-54221862

""People in England who are told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace face fines of £1,000 - up to £10,000 for the worst offenders - if they fail to do so. This includes those who test positive and those identified as close contacts of confirmed cases.

It also includes employers who force staff to ignore an order to self-isolate. NHS Test and Trace will make regular contact with those isolating to check compliance/

The measures apply from 28 September and will be enforced by police and local authorities . Those in receipt of benefits or on low income and who cannot work from home may receive a £500 one-off payment if self-isolating""

So :

1. What happens if you need to get some food? Will there be support to help people get food etc if they aren't allowed out

2. This is going to have a impact on the economy. People aren't going to want to go out and do anything which potentially has a risk of making you a close contact with the risk of a fine.

3. It's gong to have an impact on schools - for a similar reason.

4. What happens if you need to get a test? I see that you have to get a test if you are self isolating and then develop symptoms. The testing system is not working at the moment. Will this stop people going to get a test because they are worried about getting a fine?

If someone is in a financial situation where they can't miss work to isolate, what is the point of fining them £10,000? You can't squeeze blood out of a stone.

I have been trying since Thursday night to get a postal test & nothing. Just a message saying no tests available try again later.

Looks like it's 14 days isolation for all of us for a bloody cold.

I posted my test back, not everyone has couriers to collect
Had to take it a postbox an hour before collection

@lyralalala

It makes so much sense.

When I had swine flu they used to ring me multiple times a day to make sure I was still where I was meant to be. Obviously more difficult to do on a bigger scale, but it was much stricter (to be bemusement of my sister who I was cat sitting for as she had to tag 2 days at my house onto her holiday as she wasn’t allowed home!)

Wow! I didn’t get this when I had Swine Flu!

I’ve been self-isolating and have had to take my child to school a couple of times - which I can do without being near people. I had to drive to drop my test off - but encountered no-one doing so. I’ve only had to do a week and it’s driven me crazy!

There are NHS volunteers who can get medicines and food. And many community organisations too

Are the community organisations still in operation? I'd have thought most people were back at work now and unable to do other peoples' shopping for them.

But hopefully people can actually get a delivery slot now. Worst case scenario click and collect.

Agree it's a good idea to avoid going to places where you might be contacted by track and trace (not easy if you work there, though).

There is £500 one off payment available to some people who self isolate. It is dependent on their ability to work from home and benefits they receive. See bottom of this page:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

That payment is only if you are on benefits.

If someone is in a financial situation where they can't miss work to isolate, what is the point of fining them £10,000? You can't squeeze blood out of a stone.

Exactly! What a bloody stupid system.

The £500 payment for people on benefits and low income isn't actually good enough tbh. If the government are forcing people to not work for 14 days then they need to cover any loss of income incurred.

Frankly I am terrified. I have 3 kids who I can guarantee will all have a cough or a temp at least once and probably more through this winter. So that could be 6 weeks or easily more self isolating and unable to work

They may get financial help,
that is the issue for many many people, not being able to afford to actually go off sick, let alone get shopping in

It wont be enforcable - they cannot even get everyone to wear masks or quarantine when coming back off holiday there is no way they can enforce it.

but i dont understand how to vote?

2nd time for self isolating?

I guess that's easy to happen if people start going out to work and school.

I wonder how many times people will get pissed off with repeated false alarms when they get told to self isolate?

I don't know what to think about this - OTOH, there are many people who aren't self isolating so this is a good stick to do that.

OTOH - the testing system is a shambles, people might get pissed off with repeated bouts of self isolation, it will have an impact if people don't want to go out to support the economy, people might not give contacts if they know the potential impact on them and their fines, and people might give fake details.

coming into the UK via bus/coach, no checks at all!

You can also get home tests - but I am not sure if you have to post these back by going to a post box.“

Our daughter’s was collected from home.

This can only work if there are enough tests and if self-isolation is strictly limited to close contacts. So i’m a school situation, those who sat close to a confirmed case for a period of time, not all 150 children in a year group.

The virus is endemic and a vaccine is most likely at least a year away. This is seriously grim.

@LouiseNW Iv been trying since Thursday to get a postal test and it seems they don't have any in my area & only 40 walk in appointments in that time too.

It is a complete shambles.

be cheaper for the govt to give anyone that is bothering to self isolate money rather than fining those that arent

£500 is unlikely to be enough. Also many people won't be able to claim it due to not being in receipt of the required benefits.

If I have to self isolate then I may get sick pay from some of my employers but not all (in one job I earn £120 per month so would not get sick pay in that job). I would not get anything to cover my drop of business income and I would not get the £500 as I am not eligible for benefits.

JurassicShay

@LouiseNW Iv been trying since Thursday to get a postal test and it seems they don't have any in my area & only 40 walk in appointments in that time too.

It is a complete shambles.“

Oh, I do agree. Was replying for reassurance to someone who might have been concerned about having to go out.

She was tested after being in hospital, having her baby. That was weeks ago, when everyone leaving hospital was. No doubt it’s a very different situation now.

If only there had been some people to, oh I don’t know, advise the Govt. that infections and demand for tests would go up in September. Who could possibly have imagined, though ..... 🙄

So, everyone blames the government for the fact that the virus is increasing again, yet thread after thread after thread all people do is bitch and moan about how it’s not fair that they should self isolate; how it’s not fair that they should give their details to pubs etc; how it won’t be fair if schools close again; how it won’t be fair if we go back into lockdown.

For all the armchair experts out there, exactly what would you do then?

I would make the track and trace laws such that you couldn’t turn up somewhere but had to book in advance and give your phone number, to which they would send a confirmation text which you had to reply to or no booking.

So i’m a school situation, those who sat close to a confirmed case for a period of time, not all 150 children in a year group

A whole school 6th Form near me has had to into self isolation because of 1 case!!

And there's an impact with childcare - do you get paid if you have to stay at home to look after a child who is being told to self isolate?

Posted too soon. That way you wouldn’t get people being able to not give the right details. And your mobile number is traceable to your address if you end up contacted.

Failure of pubs to do so should result in them being closed.

If you refuse to self isolate and it turns out you have infected someone then it should be a £10000 fine for not self isolating, and a £10000 fine in addition to that for being responsible for infection spread.

@ florabella Frankly I am terrified. I have 3 kids who I can guarantee will all have a cough or a temp at least once and probably more through this winter. So that could be 6 weeks or easily more self isolating and unable to work

You should be able to get a test if you have symptoms, so hopefully just isolate for 1-2 days until you get a negative result back. It took a while and constant refreshing to get a test but they are available. I don’t think anyone intends that children are off school that much. Kids are bound to get lots of colds since they haven’t been mixing as much as usual. It’s a total pain I agree.