Reporting someone for failing to isolate

[WouldYouShouldI]

Under what circumstances would you report someone for failing to isolate? Would you report any breach, no breach, or would it depend on circumstances?

I've been told by a friend that a family member of theirs (should be isolating because someone they live with has tested positive) is not isolating, and is even going out to work- and they work with vulnerable people in a medical environment!

Should I report them regardless of the possible consequences on my friend (who will be blamed if they get caught)? Or encourage my friend to do the same, again despite the consequences?

I'm torn!

I'm not in the UK - can you actually report people to the police for not isolating over there?! And then what happens... do people get arrested?

@WouldYouShouldI

What would it achieve? Protecting the vulnerable people the person works with!

I don't actually know the process of reporting, I haven't looked into it, I'm just trying to work out what's right.

Chances are the people the person works with have been vaccinated, also they mix with others, travelling to and from work etc, so likely to come up against an infected person anyway. we all are even those of us who don't go out unless we have to.

Of course you don't report someone for not isolating. It would serve no purpose.

@WouldYouShouldI

What would it achieve? Protecting the vulnerable people the person works with!

I don't actually know the process of reporting, I haven't looked into it, I'm just trying to work out what's right.

It wouldn't protect anyone. The person still wouldn't isolate.. It would just annoy the people you got into trouble

Under no circumstances would I "report" someone. Who do you even "report" to and what resources do they have to investigate all these busybody claims by people like you who don't even know the full story?

@WouldYouShouldI

What would it achieve? Protecting the vulnerable people the person works with!

I don't actually know the process of reporting, I haven't looked into it, I'm just trying to work out what's right.

Probably too late for that. If there was a virus to spread it’s been spread now. I assume if they work with vulnerable people they have been offered the vaccine, the vulnerable people have been vaccinated or there are certain measures in place to help them (if, for example, the vulnerable people are too young to be vaccinated).

I'm surprised by some of the responses particularly because of the nature of the job this person works at. I've had neighbours having huge parties at the height of lockdown every weekend and would never have reported them but I think if someone is working with the vulnerable they have a duty of care to protect them and I'd be pretty disgusted by this behaviour and would consider mentioning it to their employer if they are working with vulnerable people (vaccinated or not) also if this was NHS it could be someone working with vulnerable children who can't be vaccinated. As a side note was visiting my friend today and a girl we both know came bounding over and told us she was fed up as she has covid and her isolation doesn't end til Tuesday but she's a night out planned for Sat and will still be going as she's double vaccinated anyway . Theres so many selfish twats around I don't think we can police them all. So called freedom day is the opposite for so many, it doesn't give us the right to be selfish and wreckless. My friends 9 year old and 4 year have CF and she's an absolute wreck at the moment, its awful. So I couldn't give a fuck about being a called a 'dobber' under those circumstances, some things are much more important.

My daughter had covid several weeks ago; I was invited to join a government study whereby 50% of participants (close contacts) would isolate for the 10 days as per the current rules, and the other 50 % would take LFT’s daily and continue going to work etc unless positive on the daily LFT.

If they asked me, boring old little me, it’s highly possible many others are being invited too. So it may well be this person is going to work completely legitimately. This is the way it is (hopefully) heading anyway from August for the double jabbed.

I would report to their work…
Happily

@Crazycakelady17

No do not do it too rules are changing in regards to isolating very soon don’t be that person Is the person who should be isolating a dick yes but don’t report what would you achieve?

In a months time some of the rules around isolating are changing but this won’t include this situation.

You only know what you've HEARD, and not witnessed anything firsthand? Wow.
Calibrate your emotions.

They could be part.of a trial using daily LFTs instead of isolating, my friend & her DH took part when the it DC had covid.

They didn't actually go anywhere though as they felt it too risky

Insufferable busybody!

Things soon changed from “we are all in this together” to “report your neighbors because you heard that they may have been in contact with someone who may have tested positive on a test with a pretty high failure rate”.

Some of the comments on this thread are a bit odd.

"Do you stay in all flu season too? Also a virus that kills many, many people and puts the NHS on its knees every single winter and is undetectable in many. Or are you only scared of viruses yore told to be scared of?"

I don't understand the comparison between flu season & having to self isolate. My dc have yet again just finished another round of self isolate/off school. I didn't have any choice in the matter.

@Stompythedinosaur

Well, I'm a nurse, and if I found out any of my colleagues was coming in when they should be isolating I would absolutely report it, because my duty to protect vulnerable patients outweighs my duty not to be a "dobber" (also I am not 5 so not too worried about name calling).

Showing care to your community, and especially the vulnerable in your community, is not fascism in my book. Allowing selfish dickheads to endanger others because you are worried someone will call you a "dobber" is frankly pathetic. Nearly as pathetic as doing it in the first place.

Could not agree more with this!

@Stompythedinosaur

Well, I'm a nurse, and if I found out any of my colleagues was coming in when they should be isolating I would absolutely report it, because my duty to protect vulnerable patients outweighs my duty not to be a "dobber" (also I am not 5 so not too worried about name calling).

Showing care to your community, and especially the vulnerable in your community, is not fascism in my book. Allowing selfish dickheads to endanger others because you are worried someone will call you a "dobber" is frankly pathetic. Nearly as pathetic as doing it in the first place.

I agree and people comparing it to the Nazis are being aboslutely ridiculous.

I really shouldn't have to point this out, but the Nazi informants were based on things like people harborouring Jews, anti-Nazi sentiment, communist activity, not submitting to the fascist regime. It was political and it was about getting people into trouble and potentially sent to concentration camps. Horrendous and terrifying.

The "reporting" that OP is talking about here is about trying to protect vulnerable people in our community from catching a nasty virus which would kill them, because someone they know is behaving in a dangerous way.

If you can't see the difference there, I'm very concerned.

Having said that, I still wouldn't report it, because I would weigh up the risk/ benefit and my conclusion would be that it would cause more harm in terms of personal relationships and friction than good in terms of actually saving anyone from getting Covid.

I would also feel like a right old nosy neighbour/ friend.

No way! Isolations are ridiculous at this point, at some point it will have to stop.

Good point @nancywhitehead the Nazi comments are pretty offensive actually.

Don't you just sound a bundle of absolute fun - I wouldn't want to be up in court with you that's for sure. Get a life

I really shouldn't have to point this out, but the Nazi informants were based on things like people harborouring Jews, anti-Nazi sentiment, communist activity, not submitting to the fascist regime. It was political and it was about getting people into trouble and potentially sent to concentration camps. Horrendous and terrifying

I’m going to add my support to this post as I was going to say the same thing.

Honestly, people can be so ridiculous.

Agree with stompy. I am amazed there seems to be no difference between reporting people who had seven people round for a gathering at a time when the 'rules' were six and reporting someone who has been exposed to a highly transmissible virus, is legally obliged to isolate and yet is still seeing patients.

@HankMarvinjg

Don't you just sound a bundle of absolute fun - I wouldn't want to be up in court with you that's for sure. Get a life

How mature. “Get a life” is the sort of thing sneered by a child.

People probably feel uncomfortable with the OP because they know, deep down, that the OP is right.

I wouldn't want to be up in court with you that's for sure

This is such a stupid comment 😆