To think this is unfair? Covid related

[Smokedcheesyballs]

I work in a small environment and on Monday one colleague came in saying she had Covid. She did not look well and said she felt awful. A few of the staff felt that it was unethical that she was in work and potentially spreading a highly contagious virus. She did not wear a face mask.
On Tuesday I came home feeling unwell so did a test and it was positive. I have been feeling terrible and not been in work. I get the impression my boss thinks I'm slacking but I don't think I should be in.
To make matters worse I have now passed Covid onto my husband who is a very vunerable patient (has neuroendocrine cancer).
Basically am trying to ask AIBU thinking that said colleague should not have been a martyr (not sure if correct use of the word) by coming into work not to let the boss down???, and in doing so unnecessarily spreading the virus?|

Depends on the work policy OP.

If we have Covid and we're well enough to work, we have to go in.

Same as any other illness.

This is also true!

This.

I think it's incredibly selfish to knowingly expose others to illness, whether it be covid or something else.

@Smokedcheesyballs so sorry you have got Covid and passed it to your DH - and yes if your colleague felt so unwell, she should probably have stayed home, but she didn't break the law and it might have been because she couldn't afford to stay off or a number of other reasons. However, as she knew she had Covid, it was very selfish of her, regardless

However, it is much more likely that both you and your colleague contracted it from someone else with Covid, rather than that you got it from her to be fair. Usually takes around 3 days or so to come down with the symptoms - not around 24 hours. Lots of people can have it and not know, unfortunately. I was one a year ago who had almost no symptoms at all and the minor stuffed nose I had for less than 24 hours I thought was just my allergies. Only tested because my husband had developed a dreadful head cold/cough and I was contacted by someone I had spent a couple of days with on our way from home for a funeral who said she had covid.

I hope your DH can get anti-virals since he is clinically extra vulnerable

Really sorry to see your story there @SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius
I hope that things will eventually get better for you .

testing isn’t stupid. I test. I’m not going to compromise my vulnerable colleagues health, or her very old aged mother.

to echo the poster a few comments previous, your test wouldn’t show positive after being in contact with someone less than 24 hours previous. In every case I’ve had, it’s taken at least 2 days minimum but 3 at the most. I have the pain of teaching adults who seem to not care if they are showing symptoms. I’m glad their class seems to be more important than the health of myself and my vulnerable child, and my self employed income.🙄

I believe you got Covid from another person as it takes 5-6 days from contact to becoming unwell. Shopping? Eating out? You may not never know.

With my employer and many others there is a sickness policy where if you hit a certain % or three separate periods of sickness, you get a disciplinary. Those who are on their second or know that the next time they are on the sick, they try to be a martyr. As don’t want the stress of a disciplinary meeting etc. Those who have a medical condition, they are more lenient or if had time off for something serious such as broken bones. But have to go through the disciplinary just to tick boxes for HR to show that management did follow protocol.

Plus for some people they only get SSP as not worked long enough for the employer or company does not pay sick pay. SSP is £116 a week.

Most people don’t test anymore as refuse to pay for tests.

My employer did pay full sick pay for colleagues if they were tested positive or been asked to self isolate. Plus didn’t count towards sickness % or times. This stopped 2 years ago.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius
"Now I know that long covid is not common, "
Actually it's very common. Roughly 2 million have it in the UK. That's one in just over 30 people. That's a massive amount! And as you say, can affect literally anyone

Seriously, it’s everywhere at the moment. You could just have easily have caught it from anyone else.

I didn’t know that,@DaizyDee - that is shocking.

The reaction to a global pandemic caused by an unknown virus was not hysteria.
Scientists worked hard to find its etiology, who were most vulnerable, how to treat those infected and to develop a vaccine.
Hindsight has of course taught us many lessons which will be taken into the next pandemic.

Now the pandemic is over and we know more about it, we can "live with the virus".
People who are vulnerable or are in contact with the vulnerable are still testing.

It's no good being sensible with that one.
COVID denier and anti-vaxxer since 2020.
Best just to ignore.

As others have said, you didn’t necessarily get it from your colleague.

My colleague had Covid last week. She chose to wfh until she tested negative but there’s absolutely no requirement at work for her to do so (nor to even test).

Most people are no longer testing.

I worked in a state school until last year and the official school policy was to come into work with Covid unless you felt too ill to work in which case you called in sick like you would with flu, for example. The pupils got the same guidance.

I wouldn’t have felt too happy if a colleague I was in close contact with told me they had Covid & would worry about catching it. But they would just have been following official school policy 🤷🏼‍♀️

It is shocking. It's a verifiable number from the ONS, and the really shocking thing is how little media coverage it's getting

The pandemic isn't over. We're currently in another wave and the WHO has confirmed it's still a pandemic. The only difference is the "emergency" aspect of the pandemic, ie most people have given up trying to do anything about it.

I am so sorry to hear that.

I have covid right now. I think I caught it in A&E where a receptionist was swanning about coughing and sneezing during the many hours that I was there.
3 days later I became ill and tested because I was due to visit a family member who is immune-compromised. Now I know I have it I am taking steps to try and avoid others getting it. It seems only courteous and common sense. It is still a serious illness for many.

Your work colleague was wrong to come to work knowing she was infectious.

Many people have no option but to go into work covid or no covid thats the way it is these days.

It depends on the work policy and in the NHS the sickness policy can be quite draconian I doubt the receptionist wanted to be in work but probably didn't want a warning etc.

People who have a contagious infection shouldn't he mixing with others it's selfish and uncaring.
Not letting the boss down shouldn't mean infecting everyone else by showing how indispensable you are

Ah thanks for that info.
Now I think about it more, I think that's what I meant, but didn't use the right words.

It's a bit more than not letting the boss the down ,if they don't get paid or they might potentially be put on a,warning ,but let me guess you are someone who has the privilege of being able to work from home and can't grasp that not everyone can?
These threads always go the same way

She didn't have to make you aware that she had Covid but in doing so, gave you the option to wear a mask of your own since your Dh is vulnerable. You didn't.
In any case you'll have caught it from someone else from the time frame you've given.

@x2boys

It depends on the work policy and in the NHS the sickness policy can be quite draconian I doubt the receptionist wanted to be in work but probably didn't want a warning etc.

It's odd how NHS has different policies across individual trusts /areas. Friend works in 999 call centre and they still have to test with Covid symptoms and stay off work if positive . I think they have to test for negative on 5th day or something like that.