Would you self isolate?

[janemaster]

The advice is to self isolate if you have travelled from certain areas abroad, even if you have no symptoms. We know in other countries that not everyone has followed this advice.
So be honest, if you had no symptoms but were told to self isolate for 2 weeks in the house, would you? This would mean not leaving the house at all and staying in a separate room from anyone else living in your house.

YABU - No I would not
YANBU - Yes I would

The problem is you’re relying on other people therefore to take the measures to prevent spread. If you or your children get it, you’ll have no choice but to isolate yourselves.

I'm mainly talking about the advice to self isolate within the home if other family members don't have it. If I got it I could not self isolate from my children or someone would need to come into my home to care for them and they in turn could not self isolate from carers.

Yes. Definitely.

Easy for me here as I have no immediate neighbours, but even if not I wouldn't hesitate.

I do have enough food/supplies for about three weeks if it comes to it. I'd struggle without income but I think I'd just have to deal with that on the other side of quarantine/illness. It's not as if I'd be in a unique situation in that regard anyway.

Better than being responsible for the spread of an illness which can
and does sometimes kill.

I'm mainly talking about the advice to self isolate within the home if other family members don't have it. If I got it I could not self isolate from my children or someone would need to come into my home to care for them and they in turn could not self isolate from carers

Ah yeah I see.

In that case (I’m a single parent too) I would have to hunker down with DD and we’d both isolate in the house.

But if you aren't supposed to put the bins out until you're declared infection-free, what are you supposed to do with bags of smelly rubbish? Not so much of a problem in a house with a garden, but in a flat? And what if you do get it? Someone at some stage will have to get rid of that rubbish - how? Contact the council and ask for the bin men to wear full haz mat suits?

FFS the people of Eyam managed to self isolate back in 1665 so I think in this day and age we can work out how to manage online shopping deliveries! Back then they left the money for their deliveries in vinegar to sterilize it

I think it's the work issue that's a problem. A lot of people are on irregular employment with poor working conditions. That just makes things a whole lot more complicated.

Also, people don't get thrown out immediately for not paying two weeks rent

www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/north-east/peterhead/1529383/eviction-threats-after-housing-agency-policy-change/

I was a housing officer for a local council

Nuff said!

I know a fair few people living in flats with no/communal garden space but with pets. How are you meant to take a dog out if you're in self-isolation? Even if you didn't actually walk them, just took them outside, you'd still be touching door handles in the communal hallway. If you have a cat with a litter tray, you still need to take the litter outside fairly urgently.

People could still go outside until garden or to put the bins out. They would just have to arrange things with those that share the communal areas. Door handles etc could be disinfected after being touched.

People would just have to use their common sense to do as well as they can to avoid spreading infection.

The official advice is to double bag any rubbish you handle and store it inside until you are declared free of infection. If you are infected, authorities will advise you about your rubbish.

But if you aren't supposed to put the bins out until you're declared infection-free, what are you supposed to do with bags of smelly rubbish? Not so much of a problem in a house with a garden, but in a flat?

I would still put them outside in a bin but not put bin out for the binman.

I don’t think there’s the capacity locally to have a GP do that now

In my region it's the ambulance service who have just started to roll out home testing.

I would self-isolate, but I'm involved in the incident response anyway so I a) have to follow the guidelines really or be a massive hypocrite and b) am fortunate enough to be able to do so as I can work from home and would get full pay if on sick leave. I appreciate not everyone is so fortunate, and there have been times in the past where I would have really struggled financially.

Even if I didn't feel obliged to follow the guidelines for professional reasons, my DH will almost certainly die if he contracts Covid-19 as he has impaired lung function due to an industrial disease, so it is in my/our self-interest to do so as well as benefiting others. We couldn't avoid sharing a bathroom though as we only have one, so I'd probably have to pack him off to stay with some of my local relatives.

Well for one thing I can't afford to self isolate because if I don't work I don't get paid. And I have horses to see to on a daily basis so, no, I can't keep myself locked away,

I can certainly avoid unnecessary travel, socialising, crowded places but like so many other people with livestock to care for, I can't leave them to fend for themselves for weeks at a time.

Genuine question to those with reasons they believe are good enough not to self-isolate:-

If the situation worsens or you believe you may have come into contact with someone who could be carrying would you then take advice? What happens if you contract the virus?

Genuine question to those with reasons they believe are good enough not to self-isolate

just come off your high horse. it's getting a bit boring know.

I can certainly avoid unnecessary travel, socialising, crowded places but like so many other people with livestock to care for, I can't leave them to fend for themselves for weeks at a time.

You would have to find a way of feeding them that didn't involve being in contact with other people . It would be better if you could organise for someone else to care for them though if the need arises. If you can't self isolate what would happen if you are too ill to help them? Surely something you need to organise anyway.

just come off your high horse. it's getting a bit boring know

Just stop wilfully misunderstanding, it's getting a bit boring now.

I could explain but you're blatanly not going to bother employing even the most basic of thinking skills are you?

For anyone who ends up in the position of needing to self-isolate and this becoming financially difficult, I’m happy to send likes and template letters from my own resources for you to forward to lender/landlord

DISCLAIMER - obviously if concerned you should take “real life” legal advice as well, however these are links that can be found online (but collated) and letters I used on behalf of clients when I practised.

Likes = links

I wouldn't be able to TBH we have a tiny house and three people living in it. Id try and keep us all in the house but we would need to share a bathroom and kitchen. Can't imagine being stuck in one room for two weeks.

I think that people who say that they couldn't possibly self isolate need to think about the fact that although most people do survive this a significant proportion become very ill. Considering about 20% of those infected need hospital treatment how do you think you can manage if it spreads and you become ill. People need to take it a lot more seriously and put plans into place for self isolation or illness.

For those where self isolating with no symptoms isn’t possible does that change when you do have symptoms?

Ie you get sick pay then

SirChing as a former housing officer what were/are your thoughts on the bedroom tax?

For those where self isolating with no symptoms isn’t possible does that change when you do have symptoms?

People should get sick pay even if they don't have symptoms if they have been told to self isolate. That includes those on zero hours contracts. Only the self-employed will not get anything.