Is anyone still isolating with covid?

[Whattodonut]

My sister is- she caught it from a friend who hadn't mentioned she had a temperature when they met up. (Another thread- I'm annoyed about that on her behalf!)
She's done 3 days positive and says she's going to isolate until she's negative. She has a toddler who her DH is of course looking after but it means he'll be missing work to look after toddler until she's well.

She's worried about passing it around- our parents are elderly and I think I'd be angry if someone who knew they had it gave it to them. She does feel like shit but then if it were flu she would also feel like shit and carry on because... toddler.

What would you do?

IMO she is doing the right thing. I had covid for the second time in August, started a thread out of frustration because I’d just started annual leave, and it was quite a mixed response. Knowingly going out with covid is selfish. Both times I’ve been knocked for six, this time I’m struggling with fatigue quite a lot, and this time was with me taking Paxlovid as well. Employers are definitively at fault if they don’t pay sick pay, and I wouldn’t like to have to make the decision if I didn’t get sick pay. It isn’t fair. However, those who have the “I’m alright Jack” attitude should really have a word with themselves.

Same. The Covid policy at my workplace has changed, it is now being treated as any other sickness. If I'm OK to work then I'll be going to work. I've had two periods of sickness this year and will be unpaid for anymore as per the policy.

I haven't tested in almost a year anyway, it's unlikely I'd know if I was positive.

I would isolate from public under whatever recommendations are in place but not from my own household (as seems to be the case in the OP?). I have it easy though as can work from home.

I'd have to be really rough for my husband to miss work to do childcare.

I had covid for the 4th time recently. Previously was like a cold. This time it was horrendous, I was vomiting, bed bound, dizzy. There is no way i would want to risk passing that on to someone weaker than me, so yes I did isolate.

If I had it I would. I work in a hospital and I would never forgive myself if I was the root cause of someone getting severely ill.

Yeah, I had it and isolated myself. I was going to get on the tube & go to the office that day if I hadn’t have tested positive. But I did, so stayed off public transport.

I mean, I know people whose lives have been seriously impacted by long covid, I know people going through cancer treatment & have other types of conditions where their immunity is compromised. People like that could have been in the tube carriage & I’d rather not pass it around.

It helps that I’m not negatively impacted by not going into the office though. I could still work from home when I felt well enough.

We are. After opening my big gob to crow on another thread last week how I’d not had it yet, husband and I are both positive now. Isolating because we can, WFH, have lots of food in freezer, etc. Can certainly understand how most people just can’t though.

You should do nothing - unless you want to help out which is a nice thing to do.

If she feels unwell (whether covid or flu) then of course her DH should be doing the parenting.

If it was me and I felt unwell (with whatever) I would remain in bed and expect DH to step up.

If I felt well enough to get on with things then I would. I don't test anymore but if I thought I had something others could catch then I would let them know to keep their distance and avoid visiting anyone particularly vulnerable.

They're £1 each if you buy 6, and single tests are £1-2.

They're on sale at the till of every Boots as well as in supermarkets and other pharmacies.

They're also widely available online.

I'd probably work from home for the small bit of my job that I can. The on site bits I would try to postpone or ask a colleague to take, but I could prob only manage 3 days of that.

For people who don't get paid when sick, you can't ask them to risk their livelihood.

I have it and have been told to wfh. I did have to pop to the pharmacy for medicine and masks though.. my partner has it but unfortunately cannot work from home

I don't think I'd know if I had it tbh. I have had it at least twice and hardly been unwell..I haven't seen tests on display like you used to in Tesco etc. So on that basis, no. I wouldn't isolate as I wouldn't know or care to test.

I would but I'm immunocompromised and was really unwell with covid
My work doesn't want people in with it, they are saying WFH or off sick if not well enough to work but under no circumstances set foot on site (we have me who is immunocompromised and a colleague who has a young child undergoing chemo)

She hasn't seen her DH or toddler for 3 days.

So not all bad, then

I would test if I thought there was a chance I had covid and isolate as far as possible.

Personally I feel that the etiquette should be:

Test if you might have it (if you can afford to do so, as others have said tests are £1-2 and widely available)

Isolate / wfh if possible. NHS guidance is to avoid other people if you can for 5 days from a positive test. Worth telling work what the guidance is if they’re insisting you come in.

if you can’t isolate or wfh mask up in crowded places and, I totally agree, tell other people you have it so they have the option to stay away from you.

If you’re sick with covid you might well have caught it from someone who didn’t test/ didn’t isolate / didn’t tell you. It’s good to try and break the chain of infection if you can I think. You don’t know the good effect that could have. As others have said there are so many people that covid could be life changing for.

People are isolating (our family still is) for others, not for themselves. COVID remains a highly infectious and sometimes serious disease. We don't want to pass it on

Oh and I get free tests and happily would give one if someone couldn't afford it
I ask people to test before they visit me (they know to stay away with cold/flu symptoms anyway)

Unfortunately, some people can't even afford to buy food, when you're literally counting pennies you wouldn't want to waste any money at all.

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Shadypaws23 · Today 13:07

I would but I'm immunocompromised and was really unwell with covid”

Sorry to read that. I’m not, husband is and thankfully he’s already feeling better after a few days. Meanwhile, I’m perfectly fit and well, had my 4 boosters and feel rough as hell. Thought I’d sail through it. It’s a crafty bugger.

I am just coming to the end of it. The only times I've left the house have been a couple of school runs, masked, with DD in the back and windows down. I've mostly stayed in my room and when I have come out (briefly) I've wiped anything I've touched. DH moved into one of the kids room (they are at uni). I have felt really awful and just didn't want anyone else to catch it.

Yes we did. Husband got it two weeks ago and we properly isolated him in the house - meals left outside his room etc. My view was that if we didn’t isolate him then we would all get it and (a) I didn’t feel I could send my kids into school (where they’d then inevitably spread it to all their classmates) and I didn’t want them missing a whole week so soon into the new school year and (b) I had some important face to face meetings coming up that I didn’t want to miss (and again would feel like a dick knowingly turning up to meetings with Covid).

it worked and none of the rest of the household got it. But we coudl afford to do it / it worked practically for us. Wouldn’t judge someone who needed to work & be paid etc.

it’s not just a cold so I don’t think that logic really holds - I think if you can logistically make isolation work it’s the right thing to do. Not majorly het up about it though if others make different decisions.

This may be true. My post was informing a pp who claimed that they didn't know how much tests cost or where to find them.

Her poor child.
I would only separate myself from mine if I was so so ill I would frighten him or physically couldn’t raise my head.
Never have and never will isolate for the sniffles.

I’m a nurse in a hospital and have been told I am allowed to work with a positive test!!

Same here. I am home with it at the moment - now feeling well enough to go out, but I don't need to go out so I will keep my germs to myself. Keeping windows open and mask on when my teenager is around and so far I've managed not to give it to her.

I do realise not everyone can afford to stay home.