Covid positive and working in education rules vs government rules

[MsWalterMitty]

I tested positive last week, and my school rule is that we do not come in to work until 2x neg tests on consecutive days…. I know a lot of schools are doing this. So we’re forced to stay off on sick pay.

As we all know, it’s not a requirement to self isolate anymore, however I have for the past 4 days. Which was okay when my own kids were in school!

They’ve driven me mad today and I have literally no symptoms… despite still testing positive.

If I went out with the kids tomorrow for a bike ride in a quiet area, and…, I also have to go get some food supplies! Went in to the supermarket. Do you think I’d get bollocked for that by my managers?

The only reason I’m not in work is because of their rules.

@MsWalterMitty - what do you mean by company?

It has been normal pay for the past 2 yrs if off with Covid… but our company has now changed it back to normal rules for being off sick… which isn’t many days on normal pay

Do you work supporting schools rather than as a teacher or TA or is it a private school?

[quote HavenHa]@MsWalterMitty - what do you mean by company?

It has been normal pay for the past 2 yrs if off with Covid… but our company has now changed it back to normal rules for being off sick… which isn’t many days on normal pay

Do you work supporting schools rather than as a teacher or TA or is it a private school?[/quote]
Does this matter?

I’m a TA in a private school. We only get statutory sick pay if we are off (for any sickness).

@MsWalterMitty

Does this matter?

Yes, of course it could do. It might dictate your terms of employment.

If they are telling you to stay off work when it's no longer a legal requirement they should be paying you full pay not ssp.

If I have covid I also have to stay off. Wfh of well enough. Also education in a school.

I wouldn't go to a supermarket. The same way I wouldn't go out if I had chicken pox or d and v which also has recommended isolation and no attendance in education settings.

But I'd take my ds to his swim training in the car etc.

I'd also go for a walk somewhere quiet.

How will your managers know if you go to the supermarket? Just wear a mask, keep your distance from people and go.

When you are better, start looking for another job that isn't so stupid about sick pay.

Your choice then. You’re complying with those arbitrary rules/ suggestions, if you feel it’s “unfair” to lie, “no way could you do that” then surely you are the type of person to stick to all the requirements/ suggestions. So don’t go out. I don’t know why you’re asking the question.

If it was me, I would not be testing AT ALL if I felt fine. Yes, I’d have said to my employer I was negative. Ludicrous to be testing perfectly healthy people. You haven’t done that. So you clearly like rules/ suggestions. So follow them 🤷‍♀️

School don't care about you or the wider community- they just don't want you coming in and potentially wiping out several other members of staff at the same time. I don't imagine they'd give a flying fuck if you went out at the weekend. Ps I'm a teacher.

Can't you get some shopping delivered where you are? It's still not 'just a cold' for a lot of people, young and old alike. Personally I wouldn't want to risk giving it to someone else.

I'd get delivery or click and collect for the shopping

Not everyone is low risk, and hospital admission numbers are getting high enough to bugger up tackling the backlog (whether admitted with or because of covid has much the same effect)

@ItWillBeDone

Can't you get some shopping delivered where you are? It's still not 'just a cold' for a lot of people, young and old alike. Personally I wouldn't want to risk giving it to someone else.

I genuinely don’t understand this. I agree with you - it’s not just a cold for some people (apart from every single person I’ve ever met, but hey), but that has never given us this level of angst before. We didn’t stress if we were “negative” for norovirus/ flu/ swine flu/ stomach bug before we let ourselves get back out into the world. The media have done a fantastic job of whipping up the fear in the last 2 years and now people literally cannot think for themselves. 🙄 🙄🙄🙄

@MsWalterMitty are you a teacher?

I don't think it'll be a professional matter if you choose to go into a supermarket. I'd put it off a bit longer if you reasonably can though.

I would avoid the shops. What would the repercussions be if a parent complained?

@Keenoonvino Thanks for thinking I'm not able to think for myself but I can and this is based on my own experience of covid. Several family members from age 3 to 65 have all had it and been quite unwell. Two hospitalised and one now no longer with us. I therefore very much stand by what I said. I am happy you haven't been very unwell with it and hope it stays that way.

Ok, so why are you asking the question then? Obviously you want to protect others because you know people who’ve been unwell. So don’t go out! If you know several people that have been unwell with it and want to stop others catching it, then does it matter if your employer will be cross? Why can’t you just do what you think is right? And if you don’t have a problem with going out to a supermarket when testing positive then why do you have a problem going to work? You are a big ball of contradictions…..

I wonder how many people would still be all righteously voluntarily testing if there was no sick pay - I can just imagine the swathes of public sector employees crossing their fingers for a positive test so they can sit around at home not working on full pay whilst being perfectly healthy

No, it's one thing for them to not allow you in to work (arguably protecting other employees and pupils) but they don't have any jurisdiction over your movements while off. It's very different to if you had called in sick, unable to come in and were then seen out and about.

@Keenoonvino

I wonder how many people would still be all righteously voluntarily testing if there was no sick pay - I can just imagine the swathes of public sector employees crossing their fingers for a positive test so they can sit around at home not working on full pay whilst being perfectly healthy

If your previous message was aimed at me I'm not the OP so please don't hold my comments against them.

Sorry @ItWillBeDone you are right. I didn’t read properly. Apologies to all.

I stand by what I said in theory, just aimed it in the wrong direction too specifically!

[quote HavenHa]@MsWalterMitty

Does this matter?

Yes, of course it could do. It might dictate your terms of employment. [/quote]
But I’ve told you what the rules are at my school. I don’t want to go in to too much detail about where I work and what I do. But yes I work in a school

But back pre covid, it wasn't the case that one in fifteen of us had norovirus or flu etc, so the risk to the vulnerable was so much less.

@MsWalterMitty - your 8 year old doesn’t have to do the grocery shopping, they’ve had online grocery shopping here for about two decades now. Not hard to find a solution that doesn’t compromise others’ health.