Aibu ti be slightly annoyed with DH for taking a Covid test

[Raspberrysins]

… and now we find out we are both positive. I’ve been ill with cold and cough symptoms for a week. I had one day off work then spent the whole weekend with family for my mum’s 80th. We went to abba voyage. I have been in the classroom. I have been out for dinner with colleagues last night. Until now, it was just a cold virus. But NOW I feel duty bound to tell people? I kind of prefer the living in ignorance thing! Should I announce it or not? I will def tell my mum. Not sure how I feel about Covid now that all the rules have ended. I kind of feel annoyed that he did the test at all!

But no one is even doing that now.

Well YES OP, many people are still testing if they get a 'cold', 'flu', 'feel unwell'!!! Only last week I tested (negative for covid) when I developed a sore throat, snotty nose and cough. I'm still recovering. I didn't think 'Oh, I'm clearly unwell with 'something' but I'll head off to a show to spread it around, go out with colleagues and visit my elderly mother and family!!!' 🙄

Even if you didn't test and know its covid, its still selfish to continue to socialise when unwell! Your colleagues/people at the show might have elderly/immunosuppressed people they are seeing over Christmas. Even if they don't- who wants to catch a cold from someone, especially at Christmas?

You’ve assumed that I don’t cover my mouth when I cough. I haven’t said that !

I hope your mum and any other elderly members of the family have at least had Covid and Flu booster jabs? If not, this could be the push they need to get them - last appointments are this Friday for the free rollout.

We are all just getting on with it - the official advice is that you don’t need to test. I think you should just carry on as if you didn’t know it was covid.

The 80 year old may not be able to ‘just carry on’ - so for her sake at least, you need to tell her, check she has had her booster, and be ready to get medical help quickly if she catches it. Hopefully the good hygiene and distancing you will have followed anyway, because you had a cold, will protect her.

Tell people. Covid and Flu cases are up massively, both can be fatal to older and people with compromised immune systems. We are back wearing masks at work (im a hospital nurse), we are working way beyond capacity due to covid and flu and the amount of patients needing to be admitted and isolated. This year is far worse than last year already. The flu vaccine is less effective this season which isnt helping, but people passing covid around is also contributing. Its obviously not at 2020/2021 levels, and hopefully never will be again, but it is a bad year, and people need all the information to protect themselves and their loved ones.

Yes hopefully. I’m just not sure if I need to tell people at work. I’ve told mum and she’s boostered up. Wasn’t worried luckily.

I still test for covid when I’ve got a cold. If someone I know is positive for covid I’d still like to know so I can avoid them. It can still be really nasty

I didn't even know that taking a COVID test was still a thing tbh.

always surprised when people say no one is testing. I am, my friends are, many of my colleagues are. It’s good to know and then just work from home. Long Covid is still a thing and there’s no need to risk someone getting something so debilitating when we have tests that aren’t expensive and way to do. Imagine cancer was the result of an infectious disease, with just a small risk every time you passed on the disease. And people passed it on because people can’t be bothered testing.

You're not the boss, OP.

I certainly wouldn't let my OH tell me whether I could or couldn't take a test and I very much doubt your DH physically held you down and rammed the test stick up your nose, either!

It's really rather childish to be irked by an adult taking a test because you'd rather not know the result.

I think it is a thing you are aware of if you have vulnerable or elderly relatives who you care for or see regularly; if you are vulnerable yourself; if you lost someone too soon to Covid; if you had Covid badly yourself in any of the waves.

Others nay not be aware of it at all.

You cracked on socialising with what you thought was a cold. A cold for some people can be unpleasant especially if they are immunosuppressed, pregnant, elderly. You sound quite selfish.

Are teachers allowed to stay off school if they test positive Covid but feel ok? I would have thought they’d be obliged to continue working with Covid and show up to the classroom.

Of course you did.

This faux naive narrative is ore often than not used for people who don't test to justify it to themselves.

Yes, in general there is an expectation that a Covid-positive teacher who feels well enough to teach will be in class.

Common sense would dictate that a teacher with cough and cold symptoms will keep distance; up ventilation; be scrupulous about hygiene; be particularly aware if any medically vulnerable students or those living in households with medically vulnerable people in them (in secondary, you nay not be aware if this). Equally, unnecessary mingling with colleagues would be avoided.

A medically-vulnerable Covid positive teacher, for example one who has to take anti-virals or who has had Covid very seriously in the past, might be encouraged by their head or line manager to stay off for longer.

I don’t think I’m selfish. I would be more worried about upsetting people and appearing ‘flakey’ A cold surely shoulda’t stop you going out if it’s not making you feel incapable! It was my mums special birthday which we’ve spent months planning. And a colleagues retirement dinner where three others had already cried off. I can’t see how me going is selfish.

So selfish to go around spreading your germs. And why would you not test to check if you had Covid? The tests are cheap and if you test positive you can then try not to spread it around. As should be the case for any bug you catch.

Think the test is a red herring. The question is why you’ve exposed so many people to your illness, lot of serious flu around at the moment

To be honest op even if it was just the cold I'd be pissed off if my friend or relative was spreading it around just before Christmas when I want to enjoy myself. Your mum is 80 and even a cold could really set her back.

It is not a cold.

I can - as a fellow teacher - totally understand you going to work, being normally alert about virus infection control.

The socialising- not so much. Cold, flu or Covid, nobody wants your germs at this point of the year, when pretty much all of us will see our elderly nearest and dearest.

I suspect you didn’t want to know because you didn’t want the guilt - the confirmation that your judgement of what was appropriate while you were ill and infectious was a bit off. Hopefully no lasting harm done.

Only on MN do I still hear about covid or testing for it. In RL no-one mentions it.

I repeat what I said upthread - those of us vulnerable or in contact with the vulnerable remain aware, because we don’t have an option.

I thought I had a cold but tested because I was seeing my 90 year old mum who has cancer. It was covid. I'm glad I tested.