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Original poster

Should we self isolate?

96 replies

Simba999 · 17/03/2020 18:21

My child has a cough and had a very slight temp yesterday but didn't require medication. He no longer has temp, but has a persistent cough, he went to school with the cough, his teacher ensured he was well hydrated. I thought the schoo may call me to come collect Dc, but they did not. He's obviously just got a normal viral cough, my other child had it before the corona business, I then had it and now my husband and this dchild. Coughs take months to get better, I still have mine slightly. Dh keeps commenting how we as a family should self isolate, however I don't think we should right?? Am I wrong?

Before a lot of people start saying I should think of the elderly vulnerable, it's a normal cough, so in reality this cough wouldn't be an issue if we didn't have Coronavirus going around.

OP posts:
DesLynamsMoustache · 17/03/2020 18:29

It absolutely blows my mind how the advice is so simple and yet people still are unable to understand it or think it doesn't apply to their circumstance. I can't work out if some people are just genuinely not intelligent enough to understand or if there's something else going on.

TwoHoots74 · 17/03/2020 18:29

What constitutes a persistent cough?

My son is coughing once or twice intermittently.

TwoHoots74 · 17/03/2020 18:30

Must add. I'm more than happy to have him home if need be. I'm not looking to get out of keeping him home.

Original poster
Simba999 · 17/03/2020 18:30

@christmas it was always going to be too late, as the virus is contagious before symptoms appear. Anyways your all just a bunch of meanies. IS IT REALLY SO HARD TO ADVISE WITHOUT BEING COMPLETE ARSEHOLES???? Ffffssssss

OP posts:
HaddawayAndShite · 17/03/2020 18:30

Repeating what @NuffingChora said.

“Stay at home if you have coronavirus symptoms

Stay at home if you have either:

a high temperature – you feel hot to touch on your chest or back
a new, continuous cough – this means you've started coughing repeatedly
Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.

You do not need to contact 111 to tell them you're staying at home.

Testing for coronavirus is not needed if you're staying at home.

How long to stay at home
if you have symptoms, stay at home for 7 days
if you live with other people, they should stay at home for 14 days from the day the first person got symptoms”

JUST. FOLLOW. THE. DAMN. GUIDANCE.

Why people can’t follow simple clear instructions is beyond me.

Burgerandchipvan · 17/03/2020 18:31

Are you incapable of making decisions for yourself? Does the school have to tell you to do everything?

Follow the guidelines.

Outtedagain · 17/03/2020 18:31

Stay at home fgs. The school are not experts they take advice from higher places and shouldn’t have to police children’s coughs.

SeaViewBliss · 17/03/2020 18:32

Surely if that was the case, school would have sent him home? Dh has a cough too, his workplace hasn't sent him home either

Because they aren't experts and haven't read the guidance properly. All channels have been repeatedly saying that if anyone in your house has a persistent cough or fever, everyone in the household should stay at home.

It is up to each person/family to read and follow the advice, not wait until a school or employer tells them what to do.

LakieLady · 17/03/2020 18:32

Surely if that was the case, school would have sent him home? Dh has a cough too, his workplace hasn't sent him home either

Jesus wept, it's not up to the school, or your DH's employer. Take some responsibility!

I'm starting to think that they need to introduce a system of fines for people who don't act appropriately and follow guidelines.

AnneOfCloves · 17/03/2020 18:32

Christ on a bike, OP, it couldn't be any clearer. Got a cough? You're home for 7 days and your family are home for 14. Lives are at stake,.

This. Is. Not. A. Drill.

44PumpLane · 17/03/2020 18:32

Your entire family should isolate for 14 daya, why would this not apply to you?!

chorusline79 · 17/03/2020 18:33

How on earth can you be sure what cough it is? My daughter started with a cough on Saturday evening and so our whole family are in for 14 days. Did you not see or hear the news on Monday? It may be inconvenient for you but just be responsible and have some common sense!

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 17/03/2020 18:33

This is exactly why schools need to close and we need full lock down, no one thinks the rules apply to them. This is a new cough and temperature,how on earth do you know it's a normal viral cough?

As a pp said above,you couldn't be more wrong if you tried.

onlyreadingneverposting8 · 17/03/2020 18:34

Maybe the fact that Dh's colleague is married to a consultant respiratory doctor and she has 45 patients (2 wards) of covid-19 confirmed critically ill patients might make the OP listen????

squeakydog · 17/03/2020 18:34

OP, people aren't being arseholes. They're pointing out the CLEAR guidance issued by the government that you are failing to follow. You do not need advice as it's black and white. The only one acting unreasonably here is you. You are putting peoples lives at risk.
Just because other kids at school are coughing doesn't mean it's ok to increase that risk and send yours.

2toe · 17/03/2020 18:35

I have family in Italy, they have said people not taking the guidance seriously is what caused such a large scale problem.
The guidance is perfectly clear, isolate the whole family now!

Ponoka7 · 17/03/2020 18:36

This makes watching television easier. Next time me and my DD are exasperated at the horror film/series we are watching because 'people wouldn't be that stupid', I'll now know that they are, thanks to this virus.

squeakydog · 17/03/2020 18:36

And be fucking grateful if you're all healthy and not in a vulnerable group because people who have compromised immunity or are going through chemo etc could die because of your plain stupidity and disregard for others. It's that serious. I think you're being a total twat.

Absolutepowercorrupts · 17/03/2020 18:39

Yes, you are wrong, your whole family should be self isolating

PotholeParadise · 17/03/2020 18:40

Before a lot of people start saying I should think of the elderly vulnerable, it's a normal cough, so in reality this cough wouldn't be an issue if we didn't have Coronavirus going around.

But we do. This cough may be Corona, so you need to self-isolate.

Even if you are 100% certain that it is an ordinary virus, you need to isolate, because all viruses have the potential to be life-threatening to someone, and with Covid-19 hanging over us, the NHS can't deal with that as well.

I have a primary-aged child with mild asthma. There are children like mine in classrooms up and down the country. In the space of a year, kiddo once managed two ambulance callouts and an exciting weekend stay in hospital attached to an oxygen mask, due to picking up "normal" coughs. At the time, the NHS was there for my child and others in the same boat. Well, mostly there. The second time he had an attack we couldn't treat at home, it was after bedtime on a weekend evening, and there were no ambulances immediately available.

It was terrifying holding him through his struggles to breathe. I will never forget him asking me when the ambulance was going to get there, and having to tell him I didn't know.

I sat there holding him, wondering whether they would get to us in time with a nebuliser. They did get there, thankfully.

The NHS is shortly going to be overwhelmed. There is no capacity spare. Don't pass on your child's cough, because you don't know who's going to get it. Will it be sturdy Timmy, or will it be Jimmy, whose asthma is virally triggered?

Neverender · 17/03/2020 18:41

Lol, "Give us clear guidance!"

Here you go...

"But it's not cleeeeeear."

Yes, it really is.

redsky21 · 17/03/2020 18:42

Utterly lost for words. Are people really this stupid??

Helpnotsurewhattodovirus · 17/03/2020 18:44

as a teacher, you're a selfish idiot

Runnerduck34 · 17/03/2020 18:47

I have sympathy OP, DS 19 and DD 16 were both coughing this morning but felt fine, both wanted to go into college and school. Its GCSE year for DD. Normally i would have sent them in without a second thought. DH thinks their coughs arent persistent enough, they went in. DS sent home told to self isolate but DD wasn't. I think we now all have to isolate for 14 days but DH is refusing saying its ridiculous. No idea what their temperatures are as we dont have a thermometer but at weekend at family party DD had headache and said she didnt feel greatpp, SIL took her temperature which was 37.8 which everyone thought was normal ( we all seemed to.think high temp was 38+ ) and she didnt feel hot, now realise they are saying that is a high temperature!
Explained to my boss today i need to self isolate and was told you only need to if you have both a cough and high temp and her advice was it's best not to self isolate too early! I managed to get WFH agreed anyway thou she wasn't keen , such a pita all round

HesMyLobster · 17/03/2020 18:54

Before today I would have thought op must be a troll because nobody is really that ignorant.

However I've just had this exact conversation with a friend who I had considered to be reasonably intelligent, but who is adamant her DS (temperature and cough since Friday) just has a cold so why would the whole family need to isolate?

Her exact words "but I thought you only have to isolate if somebody has symptoms or coronavirus? DS only has a cough and a temperature" 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

She was also planning to send DS back to school tomorrow and her DD has been at nursery the past 2 days. She also works in a school.

With so many people either completely ignorant of the guidelines, or thinking the guidelines don't apply to them and their family, it is never going to work.