Will you self isolate if covid positive test?

[Monopolyiscrap]

Compulsory self-isolation is ending if you test positive with covid. Instead, people are being advised to choose to self-isolate.
In reality, I think many people will not. I would not get paid if I self-isolate but am well enough to work, so why would I forego a week's wages?

So will you self-isolate if you test positive with covid?

YABU - Yes I will self-isolate
YANBU - No I will not self-isolate

And in his industry there's no postponing a job. It would go ahead with a different engineer, and if that's a three month contract then tough. Three months income gone because you isolated for ten days even though it wasn't a legal requirement.

I don't think so.

@Gwenhwyfar I do get sick pay, it's generous.

But it's for when I'm sick. Not completely able to work. So I won't get it if I isolate but could actually be in work.

I work from home so would just need to do the school runs. Could probably avoid people.
DH works in a nightclub with 2K capacity. He would have to go in.
It's just the way it is now. If the money isn't there people can't risk their own families welfare.

@Gwenhwyfar

"Whats the point in telling someone they might kill someone else if they go out for a walk with covid, (when they are unlikely to meet a sole on this walk) only for them to end up with severe depression and maybe in need of considerable mental health care as a result (or worse)?"

This is a reasonable argument against strict lockdown for weeks and months on end, but not against a week's self-isolation!

Its not about a single isolation period though!

Example: The inherent problem is that people living alone have done the strict lockdown for months on end, and the prospect of doing that again for even a week can (and is) sending some people over the edge because of the fatigue of whats gone before. They'd have been able to shrug it off easily pre-pandemic but the effects of the pandemic are the very thing thats destroyed that resilence.

Thats kind of the point with the whole thing - people's ability to cope in many ways has been eroded by the pandemic itself. Whether it be mentally, physically or financially. Its the erosion of resilence and ability to cope with certain situations which they otherwise wouldn't have without the pandemic's long term grinding down effect.

Some people have been much more sheltered from it than others and aren't aware of whats happened as they've pretty much breezed through the last 2 years. I've heard lots of parents at school dropping absoluete clangers with other parents who have had really fucking hard times over the last couple of years because they are oblvious to the experiences of others and precisely because everyone has been living in their own little bubbles.

Yet another isolation can be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

If you listen to what people are saying and how many people are actively saying 'i just don't know how I'm going to cope with' x, y or z, in recent months, its on a level that I've not seen as an adult. Its really troubling.

People have reached the end of their teether with it. They aren't necessarily being 'selfish' or ridiculous; they've just reached their absoluete desparation point.

As in if I'm not legally required to isolate but choose to - I'll be unpaid or using annual leave neither of which I can afford

I find the idea of testing voluntarily when you are well enough to not need to stay at home and then deciding to do nothing with the positive result really odd.

Surely you’d only test if you were going to isolate on a positive result? .. Or if you were genuinely ill and wanted to know if it was Covid or not, on which case you’d be staying at home anyway.

I won't be testing. If I'm actually feeling ill, I'll just stay home resting like I've always done If not feeling ill, I'll be out and about.

@thewhatsit

I find the idea of testing voluntarily when you are well enough to not need to stay at home and then deciding to do nothing with the positive result really odd.

Surely you’d only test if you were going to isolate on a positive result? .. Or if you were genuinely ill and wanted to know if it was Covid or not, on which case you’d be staying at home anyway.

Not necessarily. My Nan is 91 so I would test to know whether or not to avoid her. If positive I would know to not see her until I was negative.

@thewhatsit

I find the idea of testing voluntarily when you are well enough to not need to stay at home and then deciding to do nothing with the positive result really odd.

Surely you’d only test if you were going to isolate on a positive result? .. Or if you were genuinely ill and wanted to know if it was Covid or not, on which case you’d be staying at home anyway.

Got a mild cold, you test due to social pressure to do so. With it in mind that you are trying to 'do the right thing' (and get your mates off your back and so you can go 'don't worry its not covid!'). You blow a positive which you weren't expecting. Crap. Best isolate even though you don't feel too bad...

You stay off for a few days, stressing about it all and realise how you can't afford it. Your boss is ringing you, pressuring you back to work asap otherwise you will have to take annual leave you need to use for the school holidays or that you'll lose your job.

It eventually gets the better of you and you crack. Afterall you don't feel too bad, and you are 'wasting your time' being home 'for no real reason'. Panicking about your finances you lie that your ltfs are now neg (cos you never officially registered your initial ltf test cos there is no legal obligation to) and you go back to work at the earliest point you think you can get away with, within social convention limits.

Even though your ltfs are still glowing.

Or it can be pure curiousity and the ease of having free ltfs to hand that you decide to test even if you have no intention of isolating.

Probably not. Couldn’t afford it. There’s so many people at my work positive Covid anyway seems pointless. I was pinged a couple of weeks ago as being within proximity of a registered positive case, and it occurred at the time I was in work, so looks like fellow colleagues aren’t isolating anyway.

No one here has mentioned the effect these isolations are having on children and teachers in schools. It’s knocking their education again. Plus teachers are being driven nuts having to obey the latest ever changing edicts from the government, trying to teach not knowing what form the exams will take, and trying to teach hundreds of little people in small spaces, with anxious parents, whilst covering for isolating, yet healthy, colleagues.

enough already.

Its too late on the thread to pull the "won't someone think of the children card"

And its far to late to even start "won't someone think of the teachers" the amount of posters that have not given a flying fuck about teachers since this started is immense.

Those that replied have said they will ask elderly relatives / vulnerable if they wanted them to test before seeing them (and presumably not see them if positive)

But it would be absolutely fine if you have symptoms and dont test/ isolate when standing next to my elderly mum in a queue is it?

Personally, I won’t be standing next to anyone in a queue if I have symptoms. I will be at home until symptoms have gone. But if I have Covid (or any virus) asymptomatically, I won’t know because I won’t be testing randomly for any viruses.

@Gwenhwyfar

"Whats the point in telling someone they might kill someone else if they go out for a walk with covid, (when they are unlikely to meet a sole on this walk) only for them to end up with severe depression and maybe in need of considerable mental health care as a result (or worse)?"

This is a reasonable argument against strict lockdown for weeks and months on end, but not against a week's self-isolation!

For many though it's not a single week of isolation. For lots of people it's still the 10 days. Plus if you have a young child who has it then you get it on day 9 etc. I know someone who had 30 days isolation in a 6 week period due to each family member testing positive one after the other

@thewhatsit

I find the idea of testing voluntarily when you are well enough to not need to stay at home and then deciding to do nothing with the positive result really odd.

Surely you’d only test if you were going to isolate on a positive result? .. Or if you were genuinely ill and wanted to know if it was Covid or not, on which case you’d be staying at home anyway.

Lots of people test before seeing vulnerable elderly relatives. You could test positive, not visit the elderly relatives, but go into work.

I will but it wouldn't be too hard for me. I wonder if those that wouldn't isolate would visit elderly or vulnerable friends or relatives. It would seem a bit mean to isolate from your own friends and relatives when you wouldn't bother with people you don't know.

If I did isolate I wouldn't do it the same as when it was law. I'd keep away from people but I'd be happy to go for walks or drives.

@FunnyGoingsOn

I will but it wouldn't be too hard for me. I wonder if those that wouldn't isolate would visit elderly or vulnerable friends or relatives. It would seem a bit mean to isolate from your own friends and relatives when you wouldn't bother with people you don't know.

If I did isolate I wouldn't do it the same as when it was law. I'd keep away from people but I'd be happy to go for walks or drives.

I think it's always been quite common for someone with a cold to drag themselves into work but skip visiting granny.

@Rivering

Probably not. Couldn’t afford it. There’s so many people at my work positive Covid anyway seems pointless. I was pinged a couple of weeks ago as being within proximity of a registered positive case, and it occurred at the time I was in work, so looks like fellow colleagues aren’t isolating anyway.

I doubt they were out and about, not isolating, while having the app turned on. Surely it’s more likely they tested positive after being at work?

"Whats the point in telling someone they might kill someone else if they go out for a walk with covid, (when they are unlikely to meet a sole on this walk) only for them to end up with severe depression and maybe in need of considerable mental health care as a result (or worse)?"

This is a reasonable argument against strict lockdown for weeks and months on end, but not against a week's self-isolation!"

Even a weeks self isolation would cause unmanageable behaviour in ds - attacking people, hurting himself. We have never stuck to strict isolation anyway but it being allowed will stop the worry of having to explain it to someone in authority who wouldn't 'get it'.

@SirSamVimesCityWatch

I'm only going to test if I'm really ill. In which case I'll probably take the opportunity to isolate and get out of doing nursery & school runs. If I'm that ill I'll not be working anyway, even though I mostly work from home anyway. But there's no way I'll be testing if I have no symptoms or if I have a cold.

How will you know it's "just a cold", though? When I had covid recently, I felt a bit off/coldish, but had none of the 'key' symptoms. Did a PCR as a precaution, and it was positive. As were LFTs until beyond day 10! I am fully vaccinated, and was ok, although didn't feel great. Suspect it could have been much worse in someone else, and had I not known to self isolate, I'd have spread it to god knows how many other people. Impossible to be sure it's "just a cold", unfortunately.

If you are ‘vulnerable’ to any type of illness, then surely it’s up to you to isolate or vaccinate yourself, and take Suitable precautions. Not for the other 60million people In the UK to Have to dance around you.

That’s not selfish, it’s just pragmatic and how it’s always been before Covid came along.

@ShallWeTalkAboutBruno

We all worry about our own more than other people we don't know, simply because thats the most human of things to do

Exactly this. Do I care more about my family than about someone I’ve never met? Damn right I do. And the vast, vast majority of people do too.

Absolutely right.

If I was on a sinking ship in a lifeboat with only enough room to save my family, am I really going to say, “No. I must think about everyone else. I don’t want blood on my hands. We are all responsible for each other.”?
I don’t think so.

There’s still so much virtue signalling going on. A lot of these ‘righteous’ people are actually feeling, “I hope these infectious people will continue testing so they don’t give covid to me” The same reason they continue to wear masks - they’re actually protecting themselves. I understand why, but just be honest and stop dressing up your own fears as a concern for others.

I can't believe how many selfish people are prepared to spread Covid around to the rest of the population.

It's still killing people.

Why would you put people at risk?

I expect you're too selfish to wear a mask when you go out infected as well.

@AndAnotherNewOne

No not selfish at all!

@AndAnotherNewOne

I can't believe how many selfish people are prepared to spread Covid around to the rest of the population.

It's still killing people.

Why would you put people at risk?

I expect you're too selfish to wear a mask when you go out infected as well.

But what are people meant to do? Genuinely?

Personally, I'd be fine. I can do my job from home, and have an understanding boss. If I needed to take a week's unpaid leave I could afford it.

But what about those millions already on the breadline? Already something like 30% of children in this country are in food insecurity / poverty.

Fork out ££ a week most can't afford on tests just in case they might be positive, once they are no longer freely available?

Get sacked from their jobs by not going in? Or lose a week's pay, which means their family goes hungry?

Or see their business and subsequently their livelihood go down - so many people are surviving week to week, and taking 7-10 days off would wipe them out.

Poverty kills too.