What do we do in this situation?

[Caramel81]

DP’s colleague has just tested positive so his boss has told them all to work from home for a couple of weeks.
DP says he hasn’t been closer than 2 metres from the colleague. None of us have any symptoms (including the colleague who has tested positive).
Do we isolate for 7 days (or is it 14?) or do we also have to get a test? I’m thinking as we don’t have symptoms we wouldn’t be eligible for a test and would be told to just isolate unless symptoms do start to appear?
DP thinks we don’t even have to isolate as he hasn’t been closer than about 3m to him in the office but I’m getting conflicting advise online.
Sorry if all of this is really obvious but I just want to get it right and not be doing anything we shouldn’t be.

Technically he doesn't need to isolate unless test and trace have told him to. Even then, you wouldn't be required to unless your DH had symptoms.

If he's working from home though and it would be easy enough for you to stay in, I would do.

@ilovesushi

Get a test.

Why?

A test will tell them literally nothing at this point.

I think it's sensible to WFH if there's been a case in the building, as you never know who it's spread to, who they could then spread it to, etc.

I don't think your husband needs to isolate as such unless he's been contacted by test and trace (or KNOWS he's had close contact with this person). What I would do would be to simply err on the side of caution and keep yourselves to yourselves. I wouldn't be as strict as total isolation, i.e. go out for walks etc to keep him sane (!) but definitely keep away from public places and vulnerable people .. as we should be anyway, to be honest.

When was DP last with colleague?

We are seeing instances (multiple) of people contracting it from being in a cafe/ restaurant/ room with a covid positive person, even if not in 2m of them due to the way air circulates within the specific room. Open widows are in certain circumstances making it worse, as the air moves and the virus cumulates in pockets depending on the air flow.

There have been a few studies released on it, they are available via the wonder of Google if anyone is interested.

A test is of no use at this point. It will only tell you the status at the point of the test and not at the point of receiving the results. COVID takes 5-8 ish days to manifest, so if your DP has it, you would not be positive until 5 days later. At test at day 10 from contact with colleague would be the only accurate result, but by that point, also fairly useless.

He last saw him on Thursday last week. Thanks for all of your advice everyone

He doesn’t officially have to isolate and neither do you, but I would bear it in mind and limit contact with others just because of this stuff about the new strain that’s more contagious

Yes they all share the same toilet and tea making facilities etc. They are meant to use hand sanitizer etc but I bet they don’t bother half the time.

Surely this tells you what to do?

It's a no brainer.

If he worked in a clinical setting and everyone stuck to the rules of hygiene, fine, but he's not.

I don't think he has to isolate legally but knowing he has been in the same room as someone who has tested positive for a whole work day presumably then it would be wise for him to be as careful as possible. If you need shopping you go but again be very vigilant with social distancing. The same if you are going into work if you can't arrange to work from home.

Isolate 19 days from last contact. 2m isn’t a magical air barrier when people are walking through each other’s breath clouds. Track and trace picked 2m and 15m as they needed a workable cut off. But one hand shake/touch of a door handle/30secs in a taxi and you can catch it

Sorry typo, 10 days from last contact

Others he has closer contact with may have it and therefore he should isolate.

The children and staff in our bubbles would isolate if a child tested positive regardless of the 2 meters. You don't know how it has already spread and were it lurks.

Check with your local centre. Ours is checking anyone as it is extremely quiet.

Your husband doesn't technically need to isolate, but since he's been sent home and you aren't seeing family over the Christmas period, then he might as well anyway. If you are in Tier 4 then I would if it were me.

Even if he is isolating, you don't have to. So you can still do the shopping etc.

That would change if either of you get symptoms, obviously.

i would play safe DH to isolate for 10 days you don't have to unless he shows symptoms so you can do supermarket

His office has just practised hygiene theatre, no open plan area without super duper ventilation is going to cut the mustard. He needs to isolate. I think one of the reasons we’re all in the shit is because everyone thinks their little bend to the rules will make no difference. Err on the side of caution. He’s potentially been exposed, but surely you know that? Good luck, I sincerely hope he dodged.

I caught it from being in the same room as someone.

Your DP needs to isolate for 10 days, you don’t

@Caramel81

Yes I could do it myself. Surely if he has it then I would too (or does it not work like that). We share a bed and are intimate so if it’s that contagious it would have passed to me by now surely?

Not necessarily. I know a family where one toddler had it (positive test). Nobody else got it. It's pretty hard to socially distance from a toddler!

You don’t need to isolate, technically your husband doesn’t need to but he has shared an office space / air with an infected person and prolonged indoor contact without much ventilation is a risk. I’d assume that you should be ok to do the supermarket shop if you need to but it would seem sensible for your husband to avoid this if he can and to limit any close / indoor contact. Walks etc aren’t risky but if he’s able to avoid shopping etc it minimises the risk of passing it on if he has picked it up. I hope everyone stays well.

What utter tripe and misinformation some of these posts are. The official guidance is He DOES NOT NEED TO ISOLATE AS HE WASN'T A CLOSE CONTACT. However to be on the safe side it's probably recommended he doesn't socialise for 10 days since he last was in the same office as this person.

@Almostslimjim

And this is why it is spreading.

Yes, your DP needs to isolate for 10 days from last contact with colleague.

Whilst 'officially' it would only be via notification from test and trace, or PHE, that's if T&T is working properly, which we all know it isn't. 1, it can take days (up to 8) for them to contact people. 2, not everyone has it/ uses it. Does colleague have it? Does DP have it? T&T would tell DP to isolate in these circumstances due to the length of time spent in the same room (even if more than 2m apart).

The rest of your household do not need to isolate unless DP develops symptoms.

No, T&T is not purely dependent on people having/using the app.

What would have happened in this instance is that the person who tested positive would have been asked for details of the people they'd had close contact with in the preceding 48hrs of the test. T&T would then contact those people.

T&T would then contact those people.

If they could.

I spent 15 minutes in the queue for my local supermarket. Because of its (stupid) design, I was inside and next to other people, not 2m away (their fault not mine). I can tell t&t about them, but I don't think "the brown haired couple behind me at Tesco" would do much. Neither would "the delivery driver from that company we use to deliver our PPE" or "the other parent waiting outside ballet" (in the atrium).

For all those saying “don’t need to isolate unless T&T tell you to”, here things are so bad they are putting out messages telling people that T&T can’t get around everyone, and sometimes too long, so if you know you’ve been in contact in anyway with someone positive, to self isolate for 10 days and to get a test of symptoms start.

@Almostslimjim

T&T would then contact those people.

If they could.

I spent 15 minutes in the queue for my local supermarket. Because of its (stupid) design, I was inside and next to other people, not 2m away (their fault not mine). I can tell t&t about them, but I don't think "the brown haired couple behind me at Tesco" would do much. Neither would "the delivery driver from that company we use to deliver our PPE" or "the other parent waiting outside ballet" (in the atrium).

But we're not talking about "the couple in Tesco", we're talking about work colleagues. Can you see the difference?