To think that if you have an infectious disease, you should stay home?

[Notcontent]

So apparently the need to isolate if you have COVID will end in March. To me that seems to be sending an odd message… I am all for COVID restrictions being lifted - but surely if someone knows they have a virus, they should just stay at home??

I always thought it was pretty selfish for people with the flu or a stomach virus etc to just go out and spread their virus on public transport, to colleagues at work, etc.

I thought that a positive to come out of COVID might be that people will be more mindful about not spreading illness but it seems the message being given is that it’s fine to expose others!

That is so depressing to read

It's surely what many people do? Humans like most animals are selfish (looking after their own, and families needs first) often as a means of survival.

A lot of people were choosing between heating and eating way before covid. The first lockdown highlighted how many children got their main meal (possibly only meal) at school. In this situation what other choices would they have? I wouldn't say that was unreasonably selfish if they still went to work.
Even if you are very comfortably off, most people will pay mortgage, bills, food, fuel and possibly a few non essentials like maybe gym membership, a meal out etc before giving to charity.
Not many people receive their wages, give majority to charity and then let their own children go hungry!

I'd work from home now if I had a cold or something I could pass along. Before, I didn't really have the option and would not have called in sick with a cold.

@AndAnotherNewOne

People will put the needs of their loved ones over the needs of people they don't know. Being able to keep a roof over my child's head and feed him is more important to me than a faceless stranger.

That is so depressing to read.

A shame the government aren't caring for the vulnerable since so many here think they don't matter. I thought that's what we had government for - to look after those least able to look after themselves.

I have read the full thread. I still think we need to protect the vulnerable, not sure why people take exception to that.

Children are vulnerable. My 8 year old cannot look after himself. He needs me to provide for him.

I don't think people vulnerable to Covid don't matter. But they're not my priority. You are suggesting that people should be fine with potentially losing their homes, incomes, and leaving their children hungry. I think THAT is depressing.

It isn't asking too much to expect those infected with Covid to stay indoors until they are no longer infectious.

It's the least we can all do.

@AndAnotherNewOne

It isn't asking too much to expect those infected with Covid to stay indoors until they are no longer infectious.

It's the least we can all do.

'We'. Royal we if I ever saw one.

@AndAnotherNewOne

It isn't asking too much to expect those infected with Covid to stay indoors until they are no longer infectious.

It's the least we can all do.

Yes it is, if they don't get paid for it. It is absolutely asking too much. You're being completely obtuse and refusing to acknowledge these issues.

We had it at Christmas. I had about 3 or 4 days where it felt a bit like a horrible cold. DH felt similarly (albeit with slightly different symptoms) . I might have considered taking a day or 2 off but felt fine after day 5 or 6. We were both still testing positive on day 9 so did the full 10 day isolation.
DH is self employed and wouldn't have taken more than one or 2 days off, in any other circumstances.(and definitely not 10 days)

@AndAnotherNewOne

It isn't asking too much to expect those infected with Covid to stay indoors until they are no longer infectious.

It's the least we can all do.

Yes, it is too much to ask when those people aren't bloody getting paid.

For the millionth time, campaign for better sick pay instead of trying to guilt trip people who are just trying to pay their bills.

I have read the full thread. I still think we need to protect the vulnerable, not sure why people take exception to that.

What are children if not vulnerable?

They can't feed themselves, pay the rent, pay the bills, keep the house warm - they need their parents to go to work and do it for them!

Yes it is, if they don't get paid for it. It is absolutely asking too much. You're being completely obtuse and refusing to acknowledge these issues.

Not ignoring. Just don't think they matter as much as the lives of the vulnerable. It isn't obtuse to value human life. It really isn't.

How would a person feel if their decision to ignore the infection led to another person's death? I cannot imagine trying to live with that.

@AndAnotherNewOne

Yes it is, if they don't get paid for it. It is absolutely asking too much. You're being completely obtuse and refusing to acknowledge these issues.

Not ignoring. Just don't think they matter as much as the lives of the vulnerable. It isn't obtuse to value human life. It really isn't.

How would a person feel if their decision to ignore the infection led to another person's death? I cannot imagine trying to live with that.

Dear god almighty. You're a lost cause

Anyone with actual flu would not be in a position to be out and about. If they are out and about saying they have flu they just have a bad cold and if everyone stayed off work with a cold the country would grind to a halt. Never really know why people say it's a 'disease' either. It's a coronavirus. A common cold is a coronavirus. Obviously when it first appeared it was severe like a disease could be, but now, with vaccines and boosters for most it's a virus, a coronavirus, like a cold.

My employer is moving to hybrid working. I think this will also mean "WFH if you can" when you have flu/cold/bug. For those that can't work from home and / or aren't eligible for sick pay, then I think they will return to pre COVID standards, in that they will struggle in to work. I can't really blame those who don't get sick pay for going into work when sick.

@UnbeatenMum 👏🏼👏🏼 I agree. I never usually suffer with colds but have been non stop for the last five months or so. Isolating and hiding away is so bad for general immunity.

Anyone with actual flu would not be in a position to be out and about

Why do people keep repeating this? You can have flu and be completely asymptomatic.

@AndAnotherNewOne

It isn't asking too much to expect those infected with Covid to stay indoors until they are no longer infectious.

It's the least we can all do.

The OP isn’t talking just about covid here - and nor are most people on the thread - this is about all infectious diseases including colds.

I can guarantee that you have passed on an infectious disease that caused someone’s death somewhere along the line.

I am completely on board with better sickness policies and protections for people who can’t work from home if they have a cold. In the meantime, I can’t ask someone to forgo their livelihood to protect my CEV relative. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself

@positivevibesonly22

Anyone with actual flu would not be in a position to be out and about. If they are out and about saying they have flu they just have a bad cold and if everyone stayed off work with a cold the country would grind to a halt. Never really know why people say it's a 'disease' either. It's a coronavirus. A common cold is a coronavirus. Obviously when it first appeared it was severe like a disease could be, but now, with vaccines and boosters for most it's a virus, a coronavirus, like a cold.

So what you're saying is that people who have symptomatic Covid can easily be out and about and going to work, despite this disease killing millions in the last two years but nobody with any strain of influenza could possibly be capable of leaving the house?

@AndAnotherNewOne

Yes it is, if they don't get paid for it. It is absolutely asking too much. You're being completely obtuse and refusing to acknowledge these issues.

Not ignoring. Just don't think they matter as much as the lives of the vulnerable. It isn't obtuse to value human life. It really isn't.

How would a person feel if their decision to ignore the infection led to another person's death? I cannot imagine trying to live with that.

It's obtuse to think only Covid kills people.

I think what has happened in the last two years has made people more mindful of not being in work when ill but I hope it's also made them more mindful of washing their hands properly, cleaning up shared spaces and good respiratory hygiene (using tissues and throwing them away for instance). That, and staying at home when unwell, makes a huge difference.
Having said that, Covid is not just a cold. It's unpredictable and can make healthy, vaccinated people very sick. I'm not thrilled by the idea of people 'pushing through' and spreading it around once we get to March and that will definitely happen especially amongst those who can't afford to be penalised for taking time off work.

We seem to be in some kind of vulnerability top trumps situation. Whose vulnerability is more important??

And I think now covid has evolved and generally become a lot milder it doesn’t necessarily win at vulnerability top trumps in every instance. As already mentioned by previous posters vulnerability to poverty, homelessness, mental health problems, domestic violence etc are all important considerations.

We as a society need to be able to have sensible and realistic conversations about these sometimes difficult trade-offs. Simply repeating “But it’s covid! Some people are clinically vulnerable!” is way too simplistic.

I used to work in a carehome and the only "acceptable" illness to them was diarrhea and vomiting, unless you got a doctor's note there was no paid sickness as I worked 3 nights a week so generally would feel better by net night shift.

I would have actually been okay with it if they recommended that we wore masks if sick with like a cold. I needed the money desperately but it really feels horrible feeling knowing you might make vulnerable people sick or lead to a earlier death

What does "protect the vulnerable " actually mean?

Because the longer it goes on for, the less potent it's becoming, the fewer people seem to be extremely vulnerable to it, any more than another similar virus. And as that number shrinks, it becomes less feasible to protect the vulnerable in the ways we have been. But I'm sure that would be much less easy to say if I was vulnerable.

Arguably, people on lower wage with keys sick pay are also vulnerable

@Xiaoxiong

Lots of people have infectious viruses and are out and about even now - colds, herpes simplex, shingles...

Generally I think if people feel too sick to work or go to school, they should feel empowered to stay home and rest. This is why a civilised country should have sick pay, and social norms to say that you wear a mask if you yourself are sick, and you don't drag yourself into work feeling like death. However, once they are back on their feet they can go back - for some people this will be a day, for others this will be longer but it should be for them to decide not the government.

Having legally enforced isolation has to end at some point, generally when scientists and doctors are telling us that it is affecting the majority of the population no worse than a cold. We have always had and will always have the CEV in the population to whom even a cold is a serious illness but they have to take their own precautions and make their own risk assessments, as they always have done in the past.

For most who are cev it doesn't work like a cold. It attacks the blood and organs. How are the cev supposed to keep themselves safe? We are just normal people who have to go out to work, mix with other people, use public transport etc

My brother has had to try to avoid catching colds for decades, since he first became CEV due to the long term effects of a virus which for most people is very mild. Colds can put him in hospital very easily - he often doesn’t react like he has a cold either - and he is of course very vulnerable to covid. It is really shit for him living with that, and we have had to change our behaviour as a family in terms of contact with him since well before covid. I don’t know what the answer is re covid right now but the world didn’t protect people like him two decades ago by stopping people going out to work with cold symptoms, and unfortunately unless new sickness policies come into play (which I would support), then I don’t think covid will change that.