Should frontline NHS workers isolate themselves from family?

[fieldofdaisies]

My husband is a paramedic and is sadly dealing with more and more cases of COVID-19 on a daily basis. He is therefore very over-exposed to the virus and is potentially putting myself and my daughter at risk of contracting it at home. We are all fit and healthy but of course there is still a risk we could be ill.
We have been wondering whether he should isolate himself from us (my daughter and myself) completely. We could go and live with my mum until this is all over. The worry is, no-one knows if that will be weeks or months!
What are other families with frontline health workers doing to reduce the risk?

[Spudina]

I’ve thought about this and have decided against. I take reasonable precautions like changing at work and keeping my uniforms away from the family, lots of hand washing of course. But my eldest who is 8 is really anxious and we need to keep some normality for her. I’ve nowhere to go. Also my husband is desperately trying to work from home and it’s not fair on him for me to just give up all parental responsibility for an indeterminate amount of time. It’s a call everyone makes considering what their family circumstance are I guess.

[anothernotherone]

manicinsomniac is right that if you're already incubating it you'll give it to your mother, who is likely to be at higher risk than you and your daughter. It's too late to move now, better to stay where you are and take precautions such as your husband showering and changing clothes before hugging your children or you. That's what I'm doing.

I'm not front line - adult social care - and this is what I'm doing. I shouldn't be putting my family at much risk as our little sheltered group of residents have been isolated for four weeks now, but selfish idiot colleagues who taking unnecessary risks visiting friends and going out and about in their free time because they're bored living alone, or even breaking the rules now and taking residents out, because they're bored and stressed staying in with the residents at work. They're risking catching it and passing it to our residents and through them or directly to me or other colleagues. I don't want to catch it because colleagues are going on extra jolly outings/ visiting people - and the same individuals are taking their masks off all the time

[trumpisaflump]

@MozzchopsThirty help me understand why you're doing this. I'm now worried as I'm not. I'm working in ICU too (only as a pharmacist so no direct patient contact) but have full PPE. I shower as soon as I come home and wash all my clothes.

[justdontatme]

I very briefly wondered whether we should do this - DH is a doctor - but can’t afford it really. Plus I don’t think it’s desirable, who knows how long this will go on for, I would rather we were together.

[BadgertheBodger]

DH is on CCU and we’ve decided he’s staying here with me and 3yo DS. Not really anywhere for him to go otherwise although DS and I could potentially go somewhere else but I’d rather we were together. Like others, he brings scrubs home in a pillowcase and straight into a hot wash, clean and disinfect shoes and he goes in the shower. DS and I are low risk though. I’m honestly a bit desensitised to it at this point. I felt horribly anxious and cried a lot the first week but now I’m just eating lots of chocolate and drinking gin DH thinks the PPE is going to start running short this week though so god knows what happens then

[BrokenBrit]

My DW is working on Covid wards as a doctor.
I have asthma and a couple of other minor ish health conditions. We debated separating her from the family but we didn’t have the money to do so, we share one bathroom and of course one kitchen living room etc.
Just hoping the protection helps and we are spared when we do contract it. That’s all we can do. NHS frontline staff and their families have been thrown under a bus by incorrect PPE and lack of preparedness.

[QuaverQueen]

We don’t have a spare room either so DH, who is being shielded, has had to move to a futon in the front room for the duration.

It’s weird being in the same house but separate.

[happypotamus]

I am travelling by public transport and working in a hospital, not as frontline as ITU but still some COVID patients. The hospital will put staff up in a hotel if we want. DH and I have decided against it, partly because there is no end in sight. He still has to work and would then be a single parent looking after and teaching DC. DC would miss me. I can't really isolate from them within the home, as we have no spare bed/ bedroom and only one bathroom. I could sleep on the settee for the foreseeable future, but then DC couldn't go in the living room where the only tv is and there is no other room they could play in except the one DH has taken as his office. I don't know how to explain to DC that I am in the front room but they can't come in or see me or hug me. We just have to hope that I am not putting them at huge risk (DH more than DC)...