I feel really frustrated with attitudes to self-isolation

[Foldinthecheese]

I will admit to feeling quite a lot of anxiety about Coronavirus, so maybe I’m being irrational. Two weeks ago my MiL returned from a cruise. On Friday she came over and kissed and cuddled my three small children as usual, but she had a dry, persistent cough. She says she knows it isn’t Coronavirus because she doesn’t have a fever, so she isn’t self-isolating.

Today, my husband’s colleague sent him a message saying he has a fever, but he would wait to see how he felt tomorrow before deciding whether or not to go to work on Monday.

Why are people choosing not to follow the guidance from the government? What will it take to get people to understand that they cannot self-diagnose one way or the other, and that they have to use caution?

For the record, I know my children are unlikely to become very poorly, but I still don’t particularly want them to be ill, and I certainly don’t want them to be responsible for spreading it around their childcare facilities.

The best case scenario is if you all get it but are not ill from it, ie if you get it enough to be immune to it, but not actually ill. Try not to worry. If they say 80% of us will get it, then it's not worth getting too scared, unless you or your parents/child are in a risky category.

It's a massive, massive cultural shift though isn't it. 2 weeks ago we had all lived our whole lives being told you soldier on, keep going, no way do you take time off for minor ailments. There's a million threads on MN berating people for taking time off work if they're not sick enough. Now all of a sudden we're supposed to lock ourselves away even if we largely feel fine. It's a huge change. Also, normalcy bias. People will underestimate the effects of change because we believe the status quo is fixed.

None of us are in risky categories, except my MiL herself, so I know that I shouldn’t worry and that we’re all likely to get it at some point anyway. I suppose it is a massive cultural shift. I guess I just wonder how long it will take people to adjust their behaviour to this new normal. I’m probably also just grumpy that my MiL unnecessarily exposed my children to any illness!

It depends on circumstances, my partner won't get payed if he doesn't go to work so will have to go regardless unfortunately, he has just started with a cough and feeling unwell this evening.

I work in a shop, one of my colleagues has had a cough for about a week and today I developed a temperature, dry throat and cough during my shift. Have been told that unless our leg drops off, we are expected to come into work. I'm not usually a big worrier over things but I have asthma and another chronic health condition and I'm feeling quite anxious right now. If my workplace were supportive of the isolation guidelines I would stay at home, recover from what is hopefully a normal cough/cold type thing, and feel a lot less stressed.

I'm not surprised by this really. I keep thinking about when my dc had chicken pox, and obviously it sweeps through the class pretty quickly. So many parents went against advice and carried on taking their kids out and about as it was inconvenient to keep them in for 2 weeks. A relative who also a HCP used long clothes, a hat and foundation to take her dc on a plane! I know CP isn't the same as CV, but it can be very dangerous for immunosuppressed kids. Some people are selfish and don't care though.

God, Dibdab, that sounds so stressful. I hope that you recover quickly and it doesn’t turn into anything more severe.

I’m not totally negative on the government’s current policy, because I’ve read a few things that have explained how it could potentially reduce the burden on the NHS, but I do think they need to be offering more financial support to allow people to take time off if they aren’t well.

Dh is a healthcare professional, works mainly in private. Today he’s had a lady come in, coughing with a fever. Dh said I can’t see you, his boss said she’s paying good money and now she’s coughed over you too late so carry on.

Then a child came in clearly ill, but his mother was an anti vaxer and said I don’t care, you’re not going to stop my dc from going to rugby etc.

His boss is coughing non stop. Dh feels he has no choice but to get it now, it’s been taken out of his hands by money grabbers and people that just don’t care who they infect as long as they get what they want.

Is this what we’ve become? Beginning to despair at our society.