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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Christmas morning Covid test being demanded

859 replies

Quarks69 · 22/12/2021 08:27

Is everyone else having these? My sister in law has demanded this from my side of the family as her elderly parents are going to be at the dinner. With a family of five and three are my busy teens I am worried that we could end up with no xmas day if one of us is asymptomatic (for the second year running obvs).

I do get that we are in bonkers times, but Was so looking Forward to seeing everyone, including my parents, that this is making me cross...isn’t this the point of the jabs!?

OP posts:
Quarks69 · 22/12/2021 10:54

@Thewiseoneincognito

Actually, I’d say this is the work of an Conspiracy theorist/ Anti Vaxxer insinuating either everyone’s been jabbed so why are we still testing or the vaccines don’t work.

Goady AF and likely a bot account. Merry Christmas ya filthy animal 😘

Wow..is this The only way you can cope with people that have different views from you?

I guess you could cancel me too. Then go back to your echo chamber.

OP posts:
PoleFairy · 22/12/2021 10:54

@housemaus that is fine if that is how you feel and how you behave. Practice as you preach. I assume you isolate alone in your room everytime you have a slight cold and will do so for the rest of your life. Go to the supermarket with a sniffle? You just took out the CEV lady at the checkout. Go to work with a little cold? No, you just passed it to a co worker who killed of her grandma. For the rest of your life you should isolate in the house for 7 days everytime you are remotely ill or you are a hypocrite. If you can do that then fine. Me? I'd have lost my job from excess sick leave during one particularly cold riddled winter! This is how the world has existed for millions of years!

Notonthestairs · 22/12/2021 10:55

What a lot of drama over taking an LFT.

toomuchlaundry · 22/12/2021 10:56

If there were simple tests for flu etc, I would be happy to take them if visiting vulnerable people

JuergenSchwarzwald · 22/12/2021 10:56

At what point is it acceptable for anyone else to be able to say that they don't want to stick things up their noses and down their throats anymore

I agree. If we had a less invasive and less environmentally trashing test, I'd be less unhappy about doing one, but it's a horrible test (I'd much rather have a needle stuck in my arm and would almost rather have a smear test too) and the waste is astonishing.

However, if someone asked me to do one because they had vulnerable guests attending something as well as me, I would do one.

JustLyra · 22/12/2021 10:57

@Lion1618

I don't think you're being unreasonable. The elderly parents have been boosted right? So are as protected as they can be for now At what point is it acceptable for anyone else to be able to say that they don't want to stick things up their noses and down their throats anymore? Do people want this life forever now as it seems that way for some? Presumably nobody can test themselves for every other virus or bacteria which can cause illness and we are carrying about.
No-one has to test when being asked by someone hosting an event like Christmas dinner.

Folks like the Op are entirely free to stay home with their own family unit and not test.

The parents are as protected as they can be if they are vaccinated and people around them take precautions like testing.

The fact we can’t test for other things is no reason not to bother testing for something we can check.

BoredZelda · 22/12/2021 10:57

I wouldn’t go if I had it, but am curious if everyone out there is testing.

Why wouldn’t you?

We test every few days. If more people did this we’d be in a much better position.

theemperorhasnoclothes · 22/12/2021 10:58

There's a big difference with being ill when hospitals are functional and being ill when hospitals overwhelmed, not to mention the impact on HCPs.

These are not normal times.

And even in normal times, if I was visibly contagious no, I wouldn't go and infect an elderly relative on Xmas day, that's massively anti-social even in normal times.

shinynewapple21 · 22/12/2021 10:58

@Quarks69
My understanding is that the original double jab gives little protection against omicron, but that you get decent protection approx two weeks after having booster . One of the reasons for increased emphasis on testing is that there are a lot of people who are not two weeks on from their booster .

Plus you need to remember the effect of a person's age, so a person in their 70s or 80s, even with the booster would be more risk of serious illness than a younger person .

JustLyra · 22/12/2021 10:58

@toomuchlaundry

If there were simple tests for flu etc, I would be happy to take them if visiting vulnerable people
It would be amazing if there was - would make life much safer and relaxed for people like my DD4.

It’s amazing that people grudge a quick test for something that can be so devastating for the elderly or immuno-compromised.

ittakes2 · 22/12/2021 10:58

Is this serious? You don't want to try and protect elderly people incase one of your family does have covid and therefore can't come?
You keep trying to justify it saying its the world we are in now....yes...but your s'n'law is making a choice to help protect her elderly relatives so I am a bit gobsmacked you think she is being unreasonable.
Its not just about dying...there is long term covid. Which my healthy with no pre-existing conditions 15 year old has and there are many other young people I know in the same situation.

UnderTheMoonlightWeDanced · 22/12/2021 10:58

Yep we are all testing morning of and everyone is happy to

Hm2020 · 22/12/2021 10:59

You sound extremely selfish and ungreatful your basically saying you don’t care if you have Covid and pass it on to elderly relatives as long as you have no symptoms?

FinallySomeNormality · 22/12/2021 10:59

Yep we're doing it.

Also been at a few kids Xmas parties this week which have all required us to do LFT beforehand. No issue from me.

Yes, you could end up with no Xmas day if asymptomatic but you could also spread it without knowing to all your Xmas day relatives if you don't do it?

Grumpy1818 · 22/12/2021 11:00

So you would be much happier to not test as if you are asymptomatic you would rather not know and just pass it on to potentially vulnerable family members? How selfish. Personally wouldn't want to spend Christmas with someone who doesn't care if they give people Covid.

SleepingStandingUp · 22/12/2021 11:00

So you don't want to test because if you're positive, you'd rather just go and let her parents catch it than have to cook your own dinner?

BoredZelda · 22/12/2021 11:01

less environmentally trashing test

Sure. The environment. That’s a great reason not to test. 🙄

CrumpledCrumpet · 22/12/2021 11:01

SIL is following advice and she’s completely sensible and within her rights to “demand” this.

Whatever you think isn’t the point, but I think it’s completely selfish to want to carry on in ignorance just because you don’t want to disrupt your Christmas. If you did have covid, chances are very high you’d pass it on to SIL and her parents, and it’s perfectly reasonable that they want to minimise their risk of catching it.

NMC2022 · 22/12/2021 11:01

I'm CEV and to me colds are different
Yes I work in the corridor if someone has one but I know generally how I react to a cold
Covid is a total unknown

IDontDrinkTea · 22/12/2021 11:03

It’s not just that I don’t want to catch covid and be poorly. I’ve had my vaccines, I’d probably be fine. But I’m due soon, and if DH catches covid he won’t be able to come with me when I give birth and to me that’s more important than Xmas day. So yes, I’m asking anyone Im meeting up with to do a LFT for the foreseeable

PurpleFlower1983 · 22/12/2021 11:03

Yes we are all testing in the days up to Christmas, the vulnerable are still at risk even if triple jabbed. Why wouldn’t you want to protect your relatives?

Spidey66 · 22/12/2021 11:04

We're going to a family get together at my brother's on Boxing Day. His elderly fil will be there and he's (well his wife really) has asked we all do an LET prior to coming. No-one has a problem with it....its sensible even if the elderly relative wasn't there imo and I'm not someone who follows guidelines to the letter.

I was testing regularly start of the pandemic but admit as cases fell I got out of the habit, made worse because I broke my shoulder mid September and am only due to go back to work next week after an occupational health assessment. As I wasn't going out much and the cases were low I didn't really see the need. However as I've improved enough to get out more and cases are increasing (I'm in London where omicron is rocketing) I've started doing it again if I'm meeting others.

georgarina · 22/12/2021 11:04

We're testing before Christmas as well

Seems fine and standard to me tbh, there will be elderly people there

Vaccines don't stop you getting or spreading it

Spidey66 · 22/12/2021 11:04

LET =LFT. Damn autocorrect.

BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou · 22/12/2021 11:05

Replace elderly with CEV in my post then. Are you saying everytime you are ill you isolate yourself from everyone CEV that you could possibly come into contact with yes?

I certainly would … and have. When my DM was having cancer treatment I didn’t see her if I was at all unwell and when my DF was unwell he came and stayed with me so as not to risk my DM (my DB was there).

I will always do anything in my power to protect those I love.

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