To not stay in all day

[sadlittlelifejane]

What's the general etiquette around going out with covid nowadays?

I have what would be considered a mild cold but my friend had a spare test (at her request as she has just had it and was conscious about having more time off work) and it turned out to be covid. If i hadnt have tested I wouldn't even think twice about going out as I have a stuffy nose! My children are 2 and 6 months, I can't stay in all day. Can I go for a walk in the park? Can I go to the coffee van? Pop to corner shop to get milk? Sit on outside seating area in starbucks? What's acceptable nowadays?!

Staying in won’t kill you but going out might kill someone vulnerable.

I know there seems to be a general attitude that it's okay to go out and about if you feel up to it, but I'd avoid enclosed spaces etc knowing you were positive. My twin sister has cystic fibrosis and covid put her in hospital, every respiratory illness affects her lungs more and more and she doesn't recover like well people can.

She works from home full time and has adapted her lifestyle to avoid catching it again but it would be such a shame for her to pick it up from Sainsbury's cause someone positive went shopping there - I know I'm biased because of my twin but I think outdoor spaces are fine but keep your distance from people - just think you don't know who is vulnerable and the impact on them.

I’d wear a mask if I needed to go inside a building but generally would stay indoors still

You will get a huge range of responses. The government clearly don't want to know anymore and would prefer it if you didn't test. Personally I would avoid being indoors with other people, wear a mask if I absolutely had to be indoors with other people, and would tell anyone I was potentially socialising in advance with that I had covid so they can choose to avoid me. I would still go for a walk and buy a coffee from a van etc.

Well, I’m immune suppressed to stop recurrent miscarriages and you could make me very unwell, so I’d rather people like you stayed at home. But if people do this then they shouldn’t complain about those of us who need to wear masks to prevent serious illness!

I'm not sure any reasonable person would blink at someone else wearing a mask for their own health

Any reasonable person wouldn't @sadlittlelifejane

But the kind of people who do aren't reasonable.

There was a shelf stacker in Sainsburys today wearing one and she was like a lightning rod for the type of person who is aggrieved by things that have nothing to do with them.

Did you always stay in with the common cold? Because that kills vulnerable people too.

No restrictions, no requirement to test. Do what you feel well enough to do. People should be using their common sense anyway, I wouldn't go see anyone vunerable unwell anyway even if it wasn't covid. A walk in park with the kids should be fine.

Is that not to do with covid still being a relatively new infection though? So it's still going round a bit harder and faster than the common cold but less that when it started? Surely the more resistance built up the better? Otherwise we will struggle for years. Around the general population anyway. Those who have weak immune systems are different obviously but that stands for a lot of winter illness.

I've had it five times @sadlittlelifejane I'm still waiting for that resistance to kick in.

Given that covid mutates so much I don't think immunity from previous infection is much help.

And doesn't covid deplete your T cells and B cells or something and make you more susceptible to everything going?

I can't believe all these replies... even NHS nurses are told to go into work with covid.. the tests are about as reliable as a chocolate teapot, you aren't going to kill anyone as there's so many good treatments now. Anyway aren't all you scaremongers protected from your multiple vaccines!?!?

I would stick to our door activities if it was me - walks and so in totally fine. Maybe pop on a mask to go to the coffee van.

I wouldn’t personally go into shops and so on where there could be vulnerable people

I’d act how you would with any other cold/ illness. If you’re well enough go out for walks otherwise stay in. I wouldn’t recommend going and sitting in confined spaces though, I don’t think you should do that with any illness as I think it’s a bit unfair on others

Can you imagine what it was like for people with 2 yr and 6 mth children during the lockdowns? Just because you say you CAN’T stay in all day - these people had to except for walks.

Mine weren’t quite as little as that but I thought worth sparing a thought

Nobody dies of covid now?

Nobody goes to hospital?

Nobody misses work?

Nobody gets a long covid problem with their heart or kidneys etc afterwards?

It's all over?

A relative of mine is currently in hospital with Covid, but is being allowed visitors (with a mask). The nursing staff, however, aren't wearing masks, so I'd say do what you like, go where you like.

I'd go out for walks and so on outdoors and keep away from others as much as possible. I definitely wouldn't go somewhere like a cafe or cinema, and I wouldn't go to other people's houses.

I wouldn't go on a recreational shopping trip, browsing in stores for clothes or books or anything like that. I'd go into a supermarket/corner shop/pharmacy if I needed essentials, but I'd wear a mask.

I'd say people die with covid not of covid - as it was during the height of the pandemic.
I'd say that long covid as with most post viral fatigue is as common as if you had post viral fatigue from another virus.

As for going to hospital and missing work - it's a cold. A flaming cold. Would you suggest someone self isolates with influenza every winter in case granny catches it?
No wonder this country is going to the dogs.

I wouldn't have tested, but you can go where you like op. There aren’t restrictions anymore and people including NHS are going in tot work with it. With two young children you need to get out the house if well enough, those who are vulnerable will be (or should be if worried), wearing protective masks and have had the boosters.

I've never had flu. I've no idea if people can go around as usual when they've got the flu.

I'd love to know why you think almost a quarter of a million people in the U.K. have have covid on heir death certificates if nobody dies of it.

And why bother with intensive care and all those treatments you mentioned if there's no danger?

I believe covid boosters for the vulnerable begin this week in the several parts of the country that I have vulnerable relatives.

(And take two weeks to have full effect)

If you did any sort of research you would know that people who were in end of life care due to other illnesses had covid listed on their death certificate. Freedom of information act requests repeatedly show that in almost every NHS Trust in this country fewer than 10 people died with covid listed did not have co-morbidities.

It was a cash / power grab and everyone fell for it. If people's lives were so important how come kids I know with T1 diabetes and cystic fibrosis had their regular appointments cancelled for several years. Wake up and smell the corruption- if covid was deadly would parliament been partying through it!

Every time I catch covid I have months and months of rheumatoid arthritis flares, requiring huge doses of steroids and months of being in so much joint paint I can only lie propped up on cushions and struggle to walk, lift anything or have enough energy to stay away for a whole day and look after my children.

But yeah. Sure, you do you.

I agree as someone who is immunocompromised. If I had to go into a shop I would mask so at least minimising transmission.

People like you gave my mum covid in hospital and she has never recovered from the isolation and is so depressed that she's given up. Just because you didn't have many symptoms doesn't mean others don't. You are selfish