Hi Everyone, I don't know if anyone will know an 'official' answer to this, but just wanted to get your thoughts on whether it is ok for me to come out of isolation...
I was out of the country when the covid travel restrictions were updated, I had my lateral flow test booked and ready for when I got home but have had to book and pay for a PCR test instead and go into isolation until the results came back.
I got home on Tuesday last week and on Thursday the PCR test arrived in the post. I took it and returned it the same day and have been waiting on results.
On Friday I was contacted by Track & Trace to say I had been in contact with someone who had tested positive and I should book a PCR test immediately. I booked an NHS test for the same day and got the results on Saturday - negative - all good!
My original test results have now come back today and it is inconclusive. The letter from the testing centre says that I now should remain in isolation until the end of the 10 day quarantine period and that I could be fined for breaking isolation rules.
My confusion is does my negative NHS test overrule this one? It is more recent and had a definite negative result so I think that it does and I should be allowed out of isolation. I have also done 2x lateral flow tests since getting home and both of those have also been negative so I'm really not worried about having or spreading covid.
DH thinks I should stay in isolation as he is worried about me getting fined if someone turns up and I'm not home - he thinks that because they have mentioned it specifically on the results letter that means I will get a check up. My parents also think I should stay in isolation because that is what the ‘official’ test says to do. I think they are all being overly cautious and if I had an NHS test that was inconclusive they would just ask me to do another one and use the result from that so I’m not sure why I should treat this one any differently?
Realistically, I could happily stay home until Thursday but I have a Christmas party for work that day that I already paid for and I really don't want to miss it! Having said that, if the majority think I am being unreasonable then I will stay at home – I’m just not sure on the rules in these circumstances and there doesn’t seem to be anyone to ask.
What do you think? AIBU to leave isolation given these test results?