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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I just walked out of work over covid.

245 replies

organisedmother · 15/12/2021 13:12

When I arrived to work this morning my colleague told me that her friend she was with yesterday had just tested positive for covid and she has done a lft herself and was negative, she hasn’t done a pcr. I work in a very small space with no windows if she has picked up covid I’m more than likely going to get it from her as we share a till, toilet, fridge microwave in such a small space.

I said maybe she should of stayed home until she got a negative pcr, she was with this friend in her house having a drink,no masks of corse, windows shut, I feel like there is a 50/50 chance she will more than likely pick this up.

With Christmas so close and the schools finishing this week I thought is this worth the risk for a 3 hour shift when I could potentially pick this up and spread to my family.

I decided to go home and she said she understood their was a risk and is fine with it.

I feel a little guilty now, but I just keep thinking of the points…

-With her friend in a house chatting who has covid.
-we have no windows so are breathing each others air
-sharing everything at work
-schools closing tomorrow
-Xmas
-only lost out on £30

The nightmare and hassle it would of been if she does have it and I pick it up would of been catastrophic!

Would you of stayed or been out the door

OP posts:
milkysmum · 15/12/2021 13:43

I'm not sure how likely it that if your colleague had contact with someone covid just yesterday that she has any chance at all of spreading it to you the day after! ( if she gets it at all..).
If you work in retail you will be exposed to many, many people every day without knowing anything about it that have covid or who are close contacts.
She does not need to isolate as a contact, and if I'm honest you sound quite irrational about the whole thing.

AD80 · 15/12/2021 13:47

I get your concern but if she's double jabbed with no symptoms she is entitled to be in work. Even if she did do a pcr and it was negative it wouldn't mean she won't have it - might be just too soon. It can take a few days or even more to show up. She's done nothing wrong.

Dp was close contact at a work course (out of the usual workplace). He was still Expected to go in after exposure if he didn't have symptoms with regular testing. Turns out he did test positive 4 days later. Thankfully none of his colleagues that weren't on the course between his exposure and testing positive got it. He just distanced and wore a mask!

PinkiOcelot · 15/12/2021 13:47

A bit OTT OP.
You could have worn a mask and if that worried, wiped the screen.
It’s not a given that she will catch it anyway. Both of my dds tested positive in September. So did dd1 boyfriend. All isolated with me. I slept with DD2 and hugged them both. Neither me or DH caught it.
This hysteria is ridiculous. It’s not going away. We’ve just got to get in with it.

julieca · 15/12/2021 13:50

I would have left too.
People spread it before getting symptoms, and with the new variant it took 2-3 days to get symptoms, less than delta.
I think a lot of people still don't understand that there is a real shortage of workers out there. If I walked out like you and my employer sacked me, I would soon have another job. Good employers are hard to find, just a job isn't hard to find.

fournonblondes · 15/12/2021 13:51

@Gizlotsmum

As mad as it seems if you are fully vaccinated you don’t need to wait for a PCR or isolate. Daily LFT and carry on as normal.
There you go. It is a joke
onlychildhamster · 15/12/2021 13:51

I just had a similar situation. 3 out of 6 colleagues in my office tested positive for covid and my manager has also had contact with a covid positive person. But my manager has advised me not to come into work and wfh instead.

fournonblondes · 15/12/2021 13:51

@PinkiOcelot

A bit OTT OP. You could have worn a mask and if that worried, wiped the screen. It’s not a given that she will catch it anyway. Both of my dds tested positive in September. So did dd1 boyfriend. All isolated with me. I slept with DD2 and hugged them both. Neither me or DH caught it. This hysteria is ridiculous. It’s not going away. We’ve just got to get in with it.
Yep 👍
Original poster
organisedmother · 15/12/2021 13:52

Hopefully she wouldn’t of caught, 6 months ago I was in contact with 2 positive cases had to take 10 days of work to isolate, how times have changed.

OP posts:
Gothisway · 15/12/2021 13:53

Yanbu - I would have gone home too!
These rules are in place to protect the economy and not to stop the spread of covid. They have absolutely no basis in common sense and actively encourage the spread of the virus.

Original poster
organisedmother · 15/12/2021 13:53

That’s nice of her, at least you can enjoy the holidays without worrying you picked it up from them.

OP posts:
Original poster
organisedmother · 15/12/2021 13:56

I am with lots of people a day but only for a minute so it’s very unlikely to pick anything up from customers, but hours on shift with someone in a tiny space with no ventilation is not nice

OP posts:
ClaudiaJ1 · 15/12/2021 13:57

YANBU imo she should have been sacked for going to work like that, in Australia she would have. Her chance of getting it would be almost 100%, and you could be one of the ones who gets sick and is on a ventilator. Could your selfish colleague ever forgive yourself if you ended up on a ventilator? Gees the UK is so bad no wonder you all have such high rates when most of you over there don't take this seriously. This is a very deadly virus, what is it people don't understand about this? She should be sacked for coming to work and don't give me the 'oh she could have caught it in a supermarket' bs. Just excuses and bullshit and minimisation. The point is to minimise risk. I doubt the UK, knowing how lax it is with this, has somewhere that you can report her to, but I'd definitely trying telling your boss about her.

Sam801 · 15/12/2021 13:57

You did the right thing

MerryMarigold · 15/12/2021 13:59

IF she's caught it, she wouldn't be contagious yet anyway. Takes a couple days.

TheKeatingFive · 15/12/2021 14:00

YANBU imo she should have been sacked for going to work like that

Sacked for following guidelines? 🙄

Cloudyzebra · 15/12/2021 14:00

Unless you are now planning to isolate until Christmas I don't think there was much point leaving. The way the new variant is spreading we are all going to be in contact with people with it before very long. I sympathise with you being worried about it, but you could pick it up from anywhere.

Theremoresefulday · 15/12/2021 14:01

She was following guidance.

Original poster
organisedmother · 15/12/2021 14:05

I just hope she takes a pcr tonite and it’s negative result in a few days.

OP posts:
ClaudiaJ1 · 15/12/2021 14:06

Then there is something very seriously wrong with the 'guidelines' or 'guidance' (or lack thereof). Hmm

Original poster
organisedmother · 15/12/2021 14:07

This is not about following guidelines, it’s more would you personally choose to be in close counters with someone for a long period of time who could potentially have covid or just keep clear and go back on your next shift when you know 100% they do not.

OP posts:
EvilPea · 15/12/2021 14:10

I thought guidance was get a PCR if you’ve been a close contact of someone who has tested positive

Theremoresefulday · 15/12/2021 14:10

You don’t know who various people you’ve contact with have had contact with though.

Aprilx · 15/12/2021 14:12

Your friend has done what the guidance suggests, which is to take an LFT (and she should continue to take them).

If your work are happy for you to walk out and you don’t mind losing the money then al is good.

BaronessEllarawrosaurus · 15/12/2021 14:13

@organisedmother

I just hope she takes a pcr tonite and it’s negative result in a few days.
I'm currently a close contact, been informed to test on lft daily for 7 days (I am avoiding any unnecessary contact) however that doesn't qualify me to take a pcr so I have to rely on lft, don't know when that situation changed but I'm only eligible for a pcr if I get symptoms
Theremoresefulday · 15/12/2021 14:14

I too thought you only did a PCR if you had symptoms