Covid - isolation now

[Explainitplease]

Without looking it up, what do you think the guidance is presently if you test positive in England (not sure if same for rest of UK)?

My daughter tested positive yesterday and I was surprised by the guidance and I don’t know if was being unreasonable to be surprised.

The guidance advises you to isolate but it’s not a legal requirement

No idea but I hope to just get on with your life. I don’t know anyone who stills tests

Yes, that’s correct.

I’d rather you didn’t get on with my life, but you are free to get on with your own! I’m always surprised by that comment “I don’t know anyone that still tests” - like it’s a negative thing to test, a weakness almost!

I didn’t mean to post just that - it cut off what I did type.

Yes. That is correct. However schools can still send pupils home it would seem. So guidance or law, they can’t go into school.

I tested positive yesterday and was looking up the guidance. I had a few tests left in the house and am not feeling great and lo and behold, covid!
I plan to just isolate and work from home if I don’t feel too bad. We have a garden for fresh air if needed. Son will go to school as normal and DH works from home anyway.
Hope your DD gets well soon OP

I just tested positive this morning. We are pretty sure DH had it over the last week or so but he refused to test. I was awake all night feeling crap so texted this morning. V fast and dark pos. Just feels like a rotten cold so far.

We have just had a week of being at home due to covid. We didn’t need to isolate but both our work places prefer we do and son was off school. Daughter was in as negative. Don’t routinely test but tested as due in work and felt rough

No idea, no idea where to even get a test. If I'm poorly I stay home if I'm not then I don't

Guidance is isolate if possible

I was feeling rotten in Feb, decided to test and it was possitive.

Informed work, I wouldn't be going in that day regardless as I was so unwell. They said to take a few days off. Tested each day and after 3 I was negative, I felt much better and back out and about.

Places can do what feels best for them. Just like if you were ill in any way tbh

Ah, another tester!

The guidance I found from March of this year is for children to isolate for 3 days and adults for 5 days (educational settings).

As I said I was surprised as I thought it was “carry on as normal unless you feel unwell and need to rest”.

Spoken to school to check and they confirm they expect all pupils who test positive to remain at home for there days starting the day after the positive test.

https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/03/23/what-are-the-latest-rules-around-covid-19-in-schools-colleges-nurseries-and-other-education-settings/

My youngest tested positive today she's been told by school to return when she feels better.
We still test as my mum is very vulnerable and on 24:7 oxygen

Stop testing and stop isolating. Your child needs to get on with her life, as do we all. This is 2023, not 2020.

Thanks for the unsolicited advice!

And this is exactly why people who say “don’t test” need to see both sides. None of them know the reason why we test!

Hope your daughter doesn’t feel too unwell.

@Hbh17 thanks, I’m clinically vulnerable so need the test to access the anti virals, cheers anyway.

I'm not here for an argument, just a genuine question.

Surely regardless of testing negative or positive you would stay away from vulnerable people anyway if you were ill?

I totally understand testing in some circumstances, like the pp who said they need to in order to access medication.

In most circumstances though I do struggle to see the point, especially if you have symptoms. You already know you're ill and contagious with something even if its not Covid.

Ironically, by not testing and not isolating, the virus can then happily do what a virus does: be passed on to other people, who also would like to get on with life but catching a nasty virus hampers that, doesn't it?

It’s not a weakness but I cannot see the point. Id like to enjoy my life

You are still at risk of long covid every time you catch it. I know 5 people who have suffered greatly with long covid. Why wouldn’t you just stay in for a few days for the benefit of everyone? I was getting income insurance today and was interested that they asked about long covid as part of the health check (and that meant taking a month or longer to recover).

The government guidance has gone to advising isolation but not as a legal requirement - therefore an individual would not face a fine for going outside, the government isn’t paying for preventing people from working

Common sense is to not spread infections, and schools, workplaces etc should have their own policies.
A school has a duty of care over the rest of the pupils and staff - so would send children home
An employer doesn’t want an infection to spread across everyone and to end up shut down, so should treat COVID like any other illness and sickness absence.

Each circumstance will vary, so if a person has had an infection, but isn’t bad or is getting better and drives to a workplace where they don’t interact with others then they will be able to work
If they commute by train to an open plan office then they are at a greater risk of spreading infections

I am amazed that people don’t test. We test as a family if any of us are unwell, we tested dd daily when she was a close contact of someone with Covid. I know of someone now dying of heart failure due to Covid, I really not want to be responsible for spreading it.

I'd like to think common sense would dictate that you wouldn't go around risking spreading it to others, so if you really have to go out, then stay away from crowded/indoor places, stay away from potentially vulnerable people and wear a mask indoors. It may not affect you, but it could affect others, even if it just means other people have to stay off work if they feel unwell and lose pay due to it. Surely it's just common sense and not being selfish to avoid spreading it as much as you can.

@SirVixofVixHall god it wasn't even daily testing for close contacts at the peak!
Poor DD!

The pharmacy, shops like savers or semi chem, all supermarkets.