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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think DH has to self isolate?

111 replies

RainbowsAndFrogs · 28/10/2020 09:13

DH worked with someone on monday.
On Tuesday that person had a cough and got a test.
Today they got results and are positive for coronavirus.
As husband was in contact on Monday he should now have to self isolate for 14 days ending a week next Monday, is that correct?
He seems to think because he hasn't been contacted by test and trace, that he doesn't have to,
He has ordered a test (I know you're not supposed to but he won't listen) and said he will isolate but if test comes back negative he will go to work. I thought you still had to isolate for 14 days even if you have a negative test?

YABU - He doesn't need to self isolate
YANBU- he needs to self isolate for 14 days

OP posts:
MotherPiglet · 28/10/2020 09:17

Yanbu

He could still get Corona after a negative test thats the point of the 14 days

MakingShapes · 28/10/2020 09:18

Yes, he has to isolate for fourteen days from Monday.

picklemewalnuts · 28/10/2020 09:18

Yep. He needs to isolate.

Thehop · 28/10/2020 09:19

Depends how close they were working? Indoors or outdoors?

picklemewalnuts · 28/10/2020 09:20

Well, depending how much contact they had. Building a fence outside with your own tools, not much contact. Sharing a vehicle for an hour, not so good.

HaudYerWheeshtBawbag · 28/10/2020 09:20

Gov advised to only self isolate if you’ve got symptoms.

HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime · 28/10/2020 09:21

How close were they working and for how long? According to my school you have an impenetrable force field around you for 15 mins of 1:1 work.

dementedpixie · 28/10/2020 09:22

Were they within 2m for 15 minutes or more? Strictly speaking by the guidance he doesn't need to isolate unless contacted by T&T but if he knows he is a close contact then he should at least socially distance as T&T will get likely get round to him at some point

dementedpixie · 28/10/2020 09:23

@HaudYerWheeshtBawbag

Gov advised to only self isolate if you’ve got symptoms.
No they didnt
NailsNeedDoing · 28/10/2020 09:23

I was told there was no need for me to isolate in a very similar situation. If your DH feels that he didn’t have enough contact to be at risk, or only at minimal risk, then it’s fine.

NailsNeedDoing · 28/10/2020 09:26

@dementedpixie

Yes they did, this is from the website

If you think you've been in contact with someone who has coronavirus, but you do not have symptoms and have not been told to self-isolate, continue to follow social distancing advice.

Florencex · 28/10/2020 09:26

Your husband is correct. As he does not live with the colleague and presumably not in a support bubble with the colleague. Then he only needs to self isolate if track and trace contact him. You can look up the guidance very easily to determine when you need to self isolate. I have attached the instructions which can be found on nhs.uk.

These rules are restrictive enough without people making up their own rules about having to self isolate because of a colleague.

He was however wrong to order a test. He must have lied when answering the questions as otherwise he couldn’t have even ordered one. This is wasteful, there is a shortage of tests, he should not be using them up unnecessarily.

To think DH has to self isolate?
Emcrd · 28/10/2020 09:27

I thought the government advice was that if it's a contact, i.e. not someone in your household, you self-isolate when contacted by test and trace. However, if i knew that a contact had tested positive, I think I might feel that i should morally self-isolate anyway. Getting a negative test doesn't mean he doesn't have to self-isolate as he could develop Covid after the test.

Londonnight · 28/10/2020 09:28

I had to have a test last week, this is part of the email I got. It says if you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive you need to self isolate.

Your coronavirus test result is negative. You did not have the virus when the test was done.
You only need to self-isolate if:

you get symptoms of coronavirus (you’ll need a new test)
you’re going into hospital (self-isolate until the date you go in)
someone you live with tests positive
you’ve been traced as a contact of someone who tested positive

PaddyF0dder · 28/10/2020 09:28

Not enough information.

Indoors or outdoors? How long for? Were masks being worn?

Too vague.

HaudYerWheeshtBawbag · 28/10/2020 09:29

@dementedpixie - yes they do Confused it’s exactly from the gov website!

Florencex · 28/10/2020 09:29

@HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime

How close were they working and for how long? According to my school you have an impenetrable force field around you for 15 mins of 1:1 work.
Never mind what your school has said.

There are nhs guidelines that should be followed, I have posted them above and somebody else has provided a link.

NailsNeedDoing · 28/10/2020 09:30

I had to have a test last week, this is part of the email I got. It says if you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive you need to self isolate.

That’s completely different, because if you had to have a test then you must have symptoms. The OPs DH doesn’t have symptoms so it’s not the same.

Original poster
RainbowsAndFrogs · 28/10/2020 09:31

Thank you.
He was in the same room but opposite ends for about 8 hours. Approx 20ft apart. But walked past each other a few times.

Yes I know it's wasteful. I told him this, and not to order one, but I can't force him not to

OP posts:
Boysarebackintown · 28/10/2020 09:31

@Emcrd I agree with you. We all know from the news that track and trace are not managing to contact everyone- if you have the knowledge you have been in close contact then morally you should do the right thing.

OvertiredandConfused · 28/10/2020 09:32

In theory, your husband only needs to isolate if he’s contacted by test and trace. However, that advice is working on the basis that test and trace speak to someone who has been tested positive very quickly, that they give all their close contacts in the 48 hours before they developed symptoms and that test and trace then contact all of those people.

If your husband was not maintaining social distance from this person for more than 15 minutes on Monday then he should self isolate as a close contact of someone who has tested positive.

We should be able to rely on the system working properly. But we all know it doesn’t.

ineedaholidaynow · 28/10/2020 09:35

I’m assuming the Government guidelines are based on a working Track and Trace system, unfortunately we don’t have such a system!

MarcelineMissouri · 28/10/2020 09:37

I don’t think that level of contact would require him to self isolate. If I was him I would just be extra careful for a couple of weeks.

BeeFarseer · 28/10/2020 09:37

What you've described is not counted as 'contact'. He doesn't have to self-isolate. He wasn't within 2 metres for more than 15 minutes.