To wonder when they'll scrap isolation rules?

[GettingThemFromHereToThere]

I'm really not seeing the point of testing and isolating anymore.

With Omicron, and mass vaccination, far fewer people are entering hospital and dying due to Covid.

We know Omicron is highly contagious and most people are getting it now at some stage with very little if any symptoms.

The biggest impact on the NHS is now the ridiculously long waiting lists, including Cancer as the news outlets highlighted today, mainly due to staff isolation (not sickness).

Most of those vulnerable are vaccinated. There's also lots of evidence that those who were vulnerable to Delta are no longer particularly vulnerable due to the milder effects of Omicron. Also, we can't stop the spread of Omicron even if that's the intention of isolating. It's too contagious.

When will the government make responsive policies and scrap isolation?

Yes yes, you have Covid and a sniffle, so what! It's the mass isolation of healthcare workers and teachers that's having a huge impact on health and quality of life (and safeguarding). Not the illness itself.

I feel like we're finally at the stage where we should stop obsessing about Covid, and follow Denmark in eradicating Covid measures and start addressing the waiting lists and gaps in education etc.

AIBU?

Covid is still about 14 times more deadly than the flu.

Does that number hold for Omicron too? (Honest question, not a goad)

@ilovesooty

I hope there are policies to prevent covid positive workers from going to work with vulnerable people, whatever the government stance is.

The problem is if there are no tests how will people know if its covid or a general bug.

I'm for ending isolation. It will be interesting to see how long vaccines without more boosters keep deaths down.

Covid (omicron) is now roughly twice as deadly as the flu per case to the well-vaccinated UK population. The problem is that it's so transmissible that people are far more likely to get it: so its death toll across the population can be about ten times as high as a normal flu outbreak.
Interesting thread from the FT here which has the comparisons with flu and much more.
mobile.twitter.com/jburnmurdoch/status/1488084585527324672

I think it's extremely unlikely that this government will be willing or able to extend criminal sanctions for not isolating with Covid. But the guidance given and the NHS rules are a very different issue to the criminal law.

@mummydoingamasters

I'm sure it's the 20 something of March? 24/26th maybe?

I was told 24th yesterday as I asked the same thing!

Oh yeah I forgot there will probably not be tests either :/ will they really completely scrap free PCR and LF testing?

Sounds reasonable and sensible to me personally. Most people I know have now had covid including myself and it really wasn’t a big deal at all. For me it was just annoying burning sinuses, I’ve just got over a cold that made me feel much worse. It’s time to stop isolating and crack on with real life.

Yanbu but I very much doubt it will be extended when it expires in March

Every teacher friend who has had COVID had been ill and that has mostly been with Omicron

@Dumblebum

I’m really surprised by this thread and the lack of knowledge on this.

It expires on the 24th March, after this we won’t be required to self isolate, and free lateral flow testing stops in July.

I was reading wondering if I'd imagined all the reporting of this too.

The OP is written like no one has considered it, haven't we known abot this foe quite a while, there have been conversations at my work about it.

March 24

And it was announced here before we knew about Denmark.

easyluckyfree
And it will continue to be disrupted by those off ill with it more frequently. Something we have to accept with the lack of measures will happen in a lot of cases.