To send my child back to school without getting test results!

[Dickorydockwhatthe]

I'm on the 5th day of waiting for his results. Ds 1 tests came back negative, still waiting for ds 2 who is fine. We are all fine. I can't afford time off work, ds needs to go back to school. 119 are useless. They have finally lodged a complaint but could take 3 days from now and then it could be lost. What should I do? I'm at breaking point with it all and theres no one to complain to!!

For fuck sake there were paragraphs when I typed that!

YANBU OP.

The testing system isn't fit for purpose. And it is actively causing hardship for many due to its failures,

Worst part for you? You could be doing this several more times over the coming months.

It's not working.

I give up on it all no one will understand the financial and emotional implications of this unless in this situation and hopefully you won't have to. The government have done a great job of dividing the classes in this country.

@Dickorydockwhatthe

I give up on it all no one will understand the financial and emotional implications of this unless in this situation and hopefully you won't have to. The government have done a great job of dividing the classes in this country.

We understand, but that’s irrelevant. You’re just going to have to suck it up.

For the cough to qualify it needs to be three or more episode of persistent coughing lasting an hour or more within a 24 hour period. If your second son just coughed a few times one evening, no temperature, no other symptoms, then he didn't need a test in the fist place and you were being overly cautious. If he was coughing properly or had a temperature then you need to wait for his test result even though it is infuriating.

@Hopeisathingwithfeathers

I thought they said kids don’t really spread it?

Who said this ?

Completely wrong.

How can people not know what to do and how things are by now.

@Dickorydockwhatthe

I give up on it all no one will understand the financial and emotional implications of this unless in this situation and hopefully you won't have to. The government have done a great job of dividing the classes in this country.

We do understand. Have you looked into the self-isolation support grant? I think it's a £500 payment for those who are forced to stay off work because of either a negative test or someone in their household isolating.

@Dickorydockwhatthe

I give up on it all no one will understand the financial and emotional implications of this unless in this situation and hopefully you won't have to. The government have done a great job of dividing the classes in this country.

It's not that people don't get it. We do. There's just no way round it that involves your kids going back to school before you know that DS2 is clear.

Have you looked into the Grant?

Op, i understand but it's something you have to do. I had CV in March. As a lone parent, and a self employed one I had no income from March 23rd to the 8th of May. I was the only one earning in the house.

You just get on with it.

I'm just so shocked how hard it is to get a test on the mainland - only if you have symptoms? That got to be partly why you're in the mess you're in. Here (Channel Islands) we have the highest testing rate per head in the whole of Europe. My adult DC went to the dr last week (all main surgeries are open doing f2f appointments) for something completely unrelated, but they did a test anyway 'because you're here'. Which was negative (it wasn't ever going to be anything else) but at least they cover all bases.

We have, currently (officially at least) no community transmission - all current cases have been linked to the border (all are tested at the border, some more than once depending on where they originate) and contact tracing (which works here!) linked to the border.

But the fact is, we test, test, test and trace, trace, trace and we bought our own testing lab into the island to turn around tests for the border in under 12 hours, and for 'non-urgent' tests (like my DC last week) within 48 hours. It's costing us millions as tax-payers, but it's money well-spent.

I feel so sorry for the OP. The UK is in a mess with its Covid strategy.

Regardless of results the child that has been in contact with someone who has tested positive needs to isolate for 14 from the last date of contact with that person as that is the potential incubation period. In this instance a negative test does not over ride the need to isolate. Its shit but this information is clear and readily available online.

I think a lot of people / companies are unclear on the rules though. My work insisted on me providing a negative test result following my 10 days isolation for testing positive. It transpires from speaking to 119 that if you are positive any test you have for the next 6 weeks will continue to give a positive result even though you are no longer contagious as thats the length of time it remains in your airways so I either needed to go back or be off for 6 weeks min, I ended up being off an extra few days whilst they looked into it and made a decision. We are supposed to be tested weekly at work now but I’ve been now been told by work that the advice following a positive test is that I am exempt from testing for the next 3 months but if I develop new symptoms before then I need to go get re-tested which makes no sense!!

My sister works for an airline, shes been notified she has been in contact with a passenger on a flight that has tested positive. She has been told to get a test (despite no symptoms) and return to work if its negative! 😮. I’ve told her she needs to isolate for 14 days regardless, she says if its negative she’ll go back as that what they have instructed her to do based on what they claim are ‘NHS Guidelines’! . Shes in the same boat she won’t get paid if she refuses to go in so she says unless they change their ruled she’ll be doing as shes told, she will isolate whilst she awaits results.

Its a complete shit show!

Only ds 1 possibly came into contact with someone positive due to track and trace. He has done 14 days isolation and has tested negative. I tested ds 2 because he developed a cough and because he was close to his brother who I though could have potentially caught it from him! So what ever is brother had he probably had the same and unlike to be covid. If ds1 are a false negative we would all be back to work anyway had I not tested ds 2.

@lifesalongsong

We can't insist on seeing results. However, parents who wish children to return before the 14 days isolation is completed can do so if they are prepared to show us their results. So it's their choice.

@Dickorydockwhatthe

Only ds 1 possibly came into contact with someone positive due to track and trace. He has done 14 days isolation and has tested negative. I tested ds 2 because he developed a cough and because he was close to his brother who I though could have potentially caught it from him! So what ever is brother had he probably had the same and unlike to be covid. If ds1 are a false negative we would all be back to work anyway had I not tested ds 2.

But that is irrelevant now. Ds2 could have been exposed entirely separately and therefore test positive, which woukd reset the Si period for you all. Is dh also si pending the test result?

If DS2 has had symptoms then he needs to await his results even if the symptoms have subsided. Just because your DS1 was negative does not mean DS2 is and that DS1 won’t go on to get it. My son had symptoms and got a negative result despite me being positive. If DS2 had not had symptoms then I’d have just done the 14 days isolation without any need for testing anyone but he has so you need to wait. If its negative you can all go about your lives but if he tests positive you will all need to isolate for a further 14 days.

@Dickorydockwhatthe

Only ds 1 possibly came into contact with someone positive due to track and trace. He has done 14 days isolation and has tested negative. I tested ds 2 because he developed a cough and because he was close to his brother who I though could have potentially caught it from him! So what ever is brother had he probably had the same and unlike to be covid. If ds1 are a false negative we would all be back to work anyway had I not tested ds 2.

Sadly all of that is irrelevant as he's developed a symptom. He could just have a cold but he could also have COVID. You won't know either way until you get the test results back.

That's interesting, is that legal do you know? It kind of sounds like it could be denying eduction if parents choose to keep thei child's medical information private.

It's a therotical pondering, I haven't been in that situation myself

“But that is irrelevant now. Ds2 could have been exposed entirely separately and therefore test positive, which woukd reset the Si period for you all. Is dh also si pending the test result?”

This.

@Dickorydockwhatthe

I give up on it all no one will understand the financial and emotional implications of this unless in this situation and hopefully you won't have to. The government have done a great job of dividing the classes in this country.

OP lots of people recognise this but your talking to the wrong crowd.

I give up on it all no one will understand the financial and emotional implications of this unless in this situation and hopefully you won't have to. The government have done a great job of dividing the classes in this country

It's not that people don't understand.
The situation is really shit.

However things are going to be a hell of a lot more shit if parents have to keep taking 2 weeks off work to watch their child because a minority of people think the rules don't apply to them.

Are you seriously telling me that if your DC1 bubble bursts after parents send their kids in without a negative result you're going to say 'that's ok, I can accept a fortnight off for an isolating child because those who sent them in when they shouldn't couldn't help it'? Then when the same happens for DC2 and you have to look after them isolating due to a rise in cases in their bubble, you're also going to say 'oh well... the parent was right to send their child back without a negative result'?

After all, people who say those parents should follow the rules to minimise further closures and bubbles bursting just don't have a clue.

I hate to tell you this OP but it took 10 days to get our results back

Dd didnt have the three main symptoms. Still tested positive. Dh and me work opposite shifts in a factory with the potential to infect about 500 others. I couldn't have not got tested.
Being on a crap wage I've always made sure I've got a bit of a money buffer for if things go tits up. Appreciate it's not always possible though.
And I hear your frustration @Dickorydockwhatthe for having a well family but losing your wages by doing the right thing. We fall in the gap between help and no help. That 500 pound grant wouldn't cover our wages weve lost. But would have paid my mortgage and food bill which are due at the end of two very skint weeks.

Hope you hear something soon.

Please please do not send your child to school.
It’s very selfish and rather than your family self isolating you’d potientally cause a whole class to self isolate if the test came back positive.

I’m on day 9 of self isolation. My DD was a close contact to a child at nursery who tested positive. Instead of the family self isolating the child was sent to nursery awaiting test results which returned positive.
This selfish act has had a knock on effect as 20+ children have been told to self isolate. Obviously with the ages of children at nursery they need a parent with them to care and entertain them which inevitably means working from home is effected greatly.

I understand it’s stressful but your manager has to come to terms that this is the new normal.

Think this OP is going to do whatever they want regardless of repeatedly told they ABU