To go to the theatre with a cold?

[blameitonthecaffeine]

I have a theatre ticket for tonight.

I had Covid 3 weeks ago but wasn't ill. I think I caught it at the theatre (can't know for sure of course but I was sitting next to someone visibly ill and it was hit and crowded).

Now I have a cough and cold. Worse than covid was for me but nothing like bad enough to have given a second thought to pre Covid.

Half of me feels I should stay at home tonight. I was uncomfortable sitting next to the ill person and if I cough or sneeze while at the theatre, I don't want anyone else to feel that way. Even though I know it can't be Covid, they don't know that. And if they catch a cold, they'll have to go through the whole testing malarkey anyway.

The other me half of me thinks that theatre tickets aren't cheap, I'm well enough to go out and that we can't go round avoiding colds forever. If people are happy to be in a theatre they are probably well aware of and happy about the risks of catching a variety of bugs.

Which half would you listen to? YABU = stay at home. YANBU = go to the theatre.

If it’s a light cold and you may or may not cough I’d go and wear a mask. Take some boiled sweets with sugar (not sugar free) and suck them to avoid the risk of a coughing fit. I was at the theatre the other day, then were empty seats and everyone had to show covid passport or proof of recent infection over 14 days ago or negative lateral flow. If people are so vulnerable that a cold could finish them off then it’s up to them to avoid packed public places if they think the risk is too high.

I would go as long as I didn't have have a bad cough.

I can't move the tickets because it's the last night.

I can't say I have Covid symptoms because I don't have the official 3 and that has not been updated.

I'll just have to miss it.

But it seems crazy to just sit at home when I'm totally fine and am more sure than most people can be at any given time that I can't have Covid (double jabbed and recently had Covid is supposed to be the best formula for being protected that there is).

Someone asked how I know it's not the same Covid infection. I can only go on what the NHS say but isolation ends after 10 days if your symptoms have gone (unless it's a cough or smell/taste in which case you can leave isolation anyway as they can last weeks). So surely that means the infectious period is over after the 10 days even if you still have those symptoms. I felt 100% fine at the end of isolation and for 2 weeks afterwards. The cold has only started this week. And I'm surrounded by kids with colds 6 days a week. So it's a bit far fetched to think this is recurring, mild covid rather than a common cold.

Will the theatre resell your ticket (assuming sold out) and give you a credit note (minus booking fee). Ours certainly would have done pre covid.

I, like many others I'm sure, wouldn't go anywhere near a theatre at the moment - sitting in a poorly ventilated space with all those people, no thanks. So, I think anybody going to the theatre is choosing to take that risk and can hardly complain if they catch covid or any other virus as a result.

That said, I don't think you should go if you are coughing or sneezing a lot, purely from an annoyance point of view.

Only you can really answer this, based on how you feel.

For me personally, I'd go.

I’d be pretty pissed off if I’d plucked up the courage to venture to the theatre and fork out £££ to be sat next to someone sniffing with a hacking cough squeezed in next to me for 2 hours. Really pissed off.

It’s antisocial behaviour. It’s not like popping to the supermarket because you have no food in, the theatre isn’t a necessity. Give the ticket to someone else and stay at home. Maybe the theatre even offer refunds for people in this situation.

I don't think I'd summon up the brass neck to ask for a refund for a cold! Can you imagine if everyone did that - they'd be out of business by November. I think there's a Covid guarantee. But they couldn't reasonably be expected to offer for all illnesses.

You can pay to protect your ticket at the time of booking. I never do, sadly.

I went to the theatre last weekend, by Wednesday I had a very slight sore throat and a blocked nose. It's Covid, confirmed by a PCT test. I'm sure I picked this up at the theatre; the audience had to be double vaacinated or have a negative lateral flow within 48 hours but under 11 year olds were exempt. Cases in schools locally are high.

I'm glad you've chosen not to go. Whoever catches your cold, which is likely, as we've all been exposed less recently, will have to go through the rigmarole of testing.

The only classic Covid symptom I've got is loss of smell/taste and that took 48 hours to kick in. I just feel like I've got a cold.

PCR test..

@TheVolturi good, the rest of the class have a much better chance of not missing lessons then. Community responsibility.

Op, you can have a resurgence of symptoms quite easily.

I caught covid by some arsehole going to the theatre with a so called cold. Believe me if you sat next to me with a cold and started sniffing, sneezing and coughing id be making sure you got removed or made to sit elsewhere. Completely selfish to go.

@blameitonthecaffeine you need to have a look at the website connected with the COVID Zoe app - they’re doing research on the differences in symptoms between a cold and COVID. And they’ve also done research on COVID symptoms which are different from the strict NHS advice.

Tbf I wouldn't have gone even before covid times. Sometime sneezing, sniffing and coughing in a theatre is not ideal but technically not doing anything wrong by doing so.

I've got theatre tickets coming up that are £100 each so if I was ill but it wasn't covid I'd go I'm afraid !

Although if I had a hacking cough I wouldn't go as that would be awful for everyone including me!! Hopefully the theatre would agree to try and sell on as return though .

OP they might let you swap to another show if they are running more than one. I'd definitely talk to them

You can get covid twice in 3 weeks, there’s different variants.

Would love to see evidence of that?

YABU. Forget covid, nobody in the theatre wants your cold, not least because they would then have to self isolate and get a pcr done.

You don't have to isolate for a cold do you, just if you have symptoms? And you can get a pcr pretty quickly .

Seems like most kids have a cold at the moment, we can't shut down for colds. Test yes but most of these are just colds .

You would be unreasonable to go

I ventured to my local shopping centre last weekend for some much needed items and for the first time since last March. The person behind me in the queue was coughing non stop.
By Monday I was off work waiting for results of a covid test (just started a new job too!)

I tested negative but do have a horrific chest infection leaving me struggling to breathe

People just need to stay home if they are unwell, it's not fair on others

I agree with PP that YWBU to go. As others have mentioned, you could infect other theatre goers with the cold, they might have to then isolate for 48hrs or however long it takes to get a negative PCR test.