AIBU to delay having DSC until they are free of Covid?

[BackAffYaSpookyBint]

DSC mum and boyfriend both got covid and had to self isolate. This happened after DSC were returned to mum's. we have 50/50.
All DSC and mum had to go into isolation for 10 days.
Isolation ends next Friday and mum wants DSC to come home to us that very day.
AWBU to say hold on? Dh is desperate to see his kids and we have missed them but he's worried the risk is not passed.
Where DSC live covid is rife, we live semi-rurally so at the moment covid rates are fairly low. The risk to our family, community and jobs is very high.
DSC, one posting negative, the other two still have it. As they're all living together, the possibility is even if testing negative they could still be asymptomatic carriers.
We feel awful as we've never said no to coming home to us. But I feel we cannot understimate the risk of covid passing to us, our kids schools, our community and vulnerable family.

They can’t come if they still have covid. Call 111 for advice

So two are posting positive (which they now will be for awhile once you have tested positive it would be up to 90 days) and one is negative?

So what day does it end for them to go back to school? Friday or Saturday? When do you think the risk will be over

Uh no if they still have covid they have to stay at home. She is being ridiculous

Mum wants the negative tested one to come. 111 have said no. Not until the whole family is clear.

It’s only safe 14 days after the last person started showing symptoms ( the government says 10 but that’s for economic reasons)

They could keep testing positive for weeks, though. Shedding dead virus seems to do this. Guidelines are not to test for six weeks after a positive test in healthcare for this very reason. After ten days following a positive test, guidance is that they're unlikely to be infectious unless they're still unwell - they need to be 48h free of fever and aches etc. Cough might not go for months and months, though, so ignore that symptom.

Friday is the day they can go back to school. Negative child has a bad cough and sore throat also.
I honestly don't know when the risk will be over. Once everyone has recovered?

@FireworksAndSparklers

They could keep testing positive for weeks, though. Shedding dead virus seems to do this. Guidelines are not to test for six weeks after a positive test in healthcare for this very reason. After ten days following a positive test, guidance is that they're unlikely to be infectious unless they're still unwell - they need to be 48h free of fever and aches etc. Cough might not go for months and months, though, so ignore that symptom.

This is very helpful, thank you. Advice does seem to conflict a bit!

I think if they're legally allowed back at school, then they should be coming to your house too. Symptoms can last much longer than the 10 day isolation period does.

So the negative child needs to be tested again if they have developed a cough since the last test.

Everyone in the household needs to be clear of fever without it being reduced by paracetamol for at least 24 hours before leaving. If someone still has a fever then it's a no go as the fever indicates its still infectious.

Your best actually going for the 14 days of the last date that one tested positive if no fever anyway they can't test it can be up to 90 days to not get a positive test.

I think that given at 10 days they can return to school, that yabu to not "allow" them to come home.

The risk, imo, was already there when they went home. So I think that assuming the ones testing negative remain negative you've got to suck up any reservations (which I fully understand).

@BackAffYaSpookyBint

Friday is the day they can go back to school. Negative child has a bad cough and sore throat also. I honestly don't know when the risk will be over. Once everyone has recovered?

I'd request this child to be tested again. The others who were positive are now, unless actually ill, "safe".

Mum won;t retest negative child, hence our reservations. We want to wait 14 days at least until other family members are well again.
DH and I will also have had our first vaccine by then, which offers some protection.
Of course nothing is guaranteed.

@BackAffYaSpookyBint

Mum won;t retest negative child, hence our reservations. We want to wait 14 days at least until other family members are well again. DH and I will also have had our first vaccine by then, which offers some protection. Of course nothing is guaranteed.

When did the cough start on the negative child? I get not putting them through another test but if that's the case she needs to count 10 days from that child developing symptoms and not base it on her date for being released.

Go for 14 days as a minimum but as other PP said if still have a fever then its a no go - I had a fever for 12 days so even though my DS isolation finished he stayed in the house.

@Scottishskifun I absolutely get it too. The symptoms started about 4 days ago. Also lost sense of taste.
Can;t get an answer on fever unfortunately. Thanks though, we'll bear that in mind.
Bloody difficult, DSC deperate to see us, we're desperate to see them!

If loss of taste, it's a no brainer - self isolate until at least ten days from onset of symptoms. They can't come to your house or go back to school.

[quote BackAffYaSpookyBint]@Scottishskifun I absolutely get it too. The symptoms started about 4 days ago. Also lost sense of taste.
Can;t get an answer on fever unfortunately. Thanks though, we'll bear that in mind.
Bloody difficult, DSC deperate to see us, we're desperate to see them![/quote]
It's got to be at least 6 days extra then.

I completely get that but honestly it's a few days to make sure you don't get it and risk spreading it in your community.

It's also really horrible illness their mum is possibly also suffering from the fatigue of it which is very debilitating. I'm 6 weeks on from a moderate case and still struggling with fatigue and daily tasks. But for the extra days it's still not worth the risk.

It might be worth offering to have them longer with you guys to give their mum some proper recovery time if that's an option and agreeable?

In terms of incubation times, you can get a clue of how off these can be by looking at hotel quarantine in Australia. There was a bloke who came in from abroad and did all his PCR tests and tested negative on day 14, then started developing symptoms on day 15 after he was released. So it's probably unusual for it to take that long but really ideally the wait times should be a bit longer I suspect. Kids shed it less though apparently. Also did you know if you are in the same house the risk of getting it is still only 38% which seems ridiculously low to me! 😆

[quote BackAffYaSpookyBint]@Scottishskifun I absolutely get it too. The symptoms started about 4 days ago. Also lost sense of taste.
Can;t get an answer on fever unfortunately. Thanks though, we'll bear that in mind.
Bloody difficult, DSC deperate to see us, we're desperate to see them![/quote]
I would treat that child as being positive from the day their symptoms started and go by that.

I think your DH should let the school know that the "negative" child has had symptoms since x date as that might change the date they can go back.

There may be other children in the school who are vulnerable or children with vulnerable family members. It wouldn't be fair to risk their lives.

I would treat that child as being positive from the day their symptoms started and go by that

I think your DH should let the school know that the "negative" child has had symptoms since x date as that might change the date they can go back

There may be other children in the school who are vulnerable or children with vulnerable family members. It wouldn't be fair to risk their lives

Agree with this completely. I would do this OP.

The symptoms started about 4 days ago. Also lost sense of taste.

Sounds to me like they've got covid and just picked it up later than the rest of the family. Should really get re tested!

Thanks. We're going for 14 days, test before they come here and school requires twice weekly flow test, so we'll keep those going.
@HeckyPeck DH updated school, kids are off end of next week for May weekend, so it works out well.
DSC are naturally upset. Have explained that this is bigger than them. We cannot underestimate this illness and I dread being responsible for exposing vulnerable people to it.

They can move to another parents regardless of having covid or otherwise.

@lostlife

They can move to another parents regardless of having covid or otherwise.

Eh?! Where have you been for the last year?! What part of self isolate do not leave the house unless its for a medical emergency or a covid test is hard to understand?! No you can't move between parents houses if you have covid symptoms!

@lostlife

They can move to another parents regardless of having covid or otherwise.

Covid guidelines state children with seperated parents can move between the parents houses. It doesn't say they can spread covid round our community and endanger more vulnerable people!