To ask if you think there are people not bothering to get tested for covid

[Fedupofcovid78]

When they have symptoms and therefore not isolating.

I know a few who wouldn't test for various reasons, financial or travel related.
It feels like loads more people have the fuckits now.

Yes, this is a so widespread it’s effectively a national sport. The only “small” matter being - we are losing out being blasé and high risk hence the continuing super spreading. I speak with particular knowledge from a primary school setting where I believe many have recently presented at school with numerous medical issues being mildly symptomatic but intentionally untested for Covid ironically worried that Covid may forever as in recent months disrupt the class or year incubation and transmission bubble. There are those who prefer herd immunity by infection. The only issue being some infected may not fully recover. The other reason for non testing is again due to logistical inconvenience to be work productive. The mobile app pingdemic only adds to this non proactive high risk approach and avoidance of risk mitigation but not avoiding the risks of pandemic mutating super spreading of ever more deadly and contagious newer variants.

I'm sure that is the case, not sure the scale of it. People who are not paid or have reduced pay when self-isolating, or who want their holiday, or various other reasons.

The complete abdication of responsibility by the Prime Minister encourages this kind of behaviour even more- a man who is only self-isolating in a country mansion because the Chancellor told him how it would look if he did not, and who did not think about the health of The Queen last year.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

I think there are people isolating, doing LFT and not reporting results, and choosing not to officially test, because of the knock on effect it would have on their friends/family/children's school mates.

That’s my observation too (at least where we live). People LFT testing and quietly isolating but not reporting the results either way, just quietly keeping tabs on their situation.

Yes, definitely. People want to go back to living a normal life now.

Of course there are, for all kinds of different reasons. Anyone who thinks that everyone gets a test when they have symptoms is totally out of touch with the real world

Definitely. DS and his GF had symptoms and she did a lft which was positive. They’ve both been quite poorly and have self isolated properly but didn’t do pcr or report because‘what’s the point?’

Both have chosen not to be vaccinated so I’m not very sympathetic.

When we were all in lockdown, you basically didn’t miss much by isolating, apart from work. Now people have plans, and don’t want to compromise them after months of crap.

Yes without a doubt given the number of posts I’ve read on here. People not wanting to miss events so won’t test or ignore isolation. It’s so disheartening.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

I think there are people isolating, doing LFT and not reporting results, and choosing not to officially test, because of the knock on effect it would have on their friends/family/children's school mates.

I can well believe this.

I am completely wracked in guilt because I have named colleagues on test and trace. If I had thought through the chain of events I was setting off I may have done the same.

Three messages so far today from colleagues telling what plans of theirs "I" have spoiled. I am not actually sure I am going to be able to return to my job.

Exactly @Covidoutcast, this by no means a black and white cut and dried situation

It's possible that people who can't understand that have very different lives to a lot of the rest of the population.

Bubble burst in dd's yr 5 class the day after school finished. A few of the kids have tested positive as a result. A few other parents have confided that they won't be testing, even with symptoms, cos the kids have already had to isolate for 10 days and they don't want summer ruined. I think it's been going on for a good while now.

I know what you mean, covidoutcast. I had to self isolate after a friend tested positive. I'm on a 0 hours contract so lost about £400 of pay. It was a challenge not to be angry with her, as she only tested randomly - if she'd have waited until she was sick I wouldn't have seen her recently enough to be caught up in it. But I know it wasn't her fault and she felt awful enough being ill without me making her feel worse. I've not told her how much it cost me. Luckily, we could make do without it just about but it's delayed some financial plans.

@EndoplasmicReticulum

Possibly. We're travelling to visit relatives next week. They all "have a cold". It'll be 10 days by the time we get there from when they got this "cold" or I'd be refusing to go!

Yes and here is the issue. I think I've lost sight now of the guidance for testing. For example, every time my kids have a mild cold, I ask the school for advice. They say no need to test if no temp and to send them in. But of course, we know now that symptoms are often very mild. But of course, not everyone will be testing each time they have a mild cold. It's difficult.

Yes of course there are. Isolation is at best inconvenient and at worst financially disastrous so some people will naturally try and avoid it. At this point, some people don't really care if someone they don't know gets ill, if it's a choice between that and yet another bout of unpaid isolation. Don't know why you would find that surprising really.

Of course there is. I don't blame people who can't afford to isolate though.

I've seen posts where people are pissed off that their children's classmate was tested and burst the class bubble because it means missing end of term parties and other social events. Or that they are sure their child has hay fever/cold/other ailment especially when Delta presents differently.

I doubt it by the numbers.

Of course there are people that won’t test, it’s been that way since the start. If the government want people to isolate, especially when they are fit and well enough to go out to work, they need to pay them to do so. Everyone, no matter how much they earn, should have been guaranteed their normal income, without having to jump through hoops to get it. There may have been a few pisstakers, but there are with the benefits system anyway, and it would be a short term measure that would have helped contain the virus and it would have saved lives. Too late now though.

Yes, people can’t afford to take time of work unpaid

@HoneysuckIejasmine fortunately my colleagues will still get paid - I would feel even worse if anyone would be out of pocket financially.

The only other person affected outside of my household is my MIL; she is a Covid obsessive who loves attention so she would have felt hard done by if she didn't get the official test and trace message.

I would feel the same, if a friend named me as a close contact I would be angry at them too due to my financial circumstances and would think they are not a friend at all!

This happened a lot at the start too where people were purposely naming colleagues they didn’t like and friends they fell out with so they would have to isolate, I suppose it’s stemmed from there that it’s seen as punishment.

I guarantee you that most of the people booked to go on holiday from last week (and earlier, but the schools have broken off) are specifically NOT getting tested and are going on their holiday! (nationally at least).

Same for football matches, weddings etc..

A lot of positive cases aren’t bothering to isolate. They claim their £500, take time off work and enjoy spending their free money!

People are sick of lockdown and restrictions.

They know if the number of cases goes up then it’s likely restrictions will be bought back again.

Therefore the logic tells them that the way to keep official cases down, and therefore prevent restrictions, is to not take a test in the first place.

@Suzi888

A lot of positive cases aren’t bothering to isolate. They claim their £500, take time off work and enjoy spending their free money!

You have to be on quite a low income and meet the other requirements to get the £500. I'd be surprised if there are many people living it up on that when their normal income isn't available. How can they afford to do that?