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Original poster

Shielding After The Lockdown

176 replies

Didkdt · 16/04/2020 15:19

As people go back to work and the children to school I suspect our shielding status will remain for quite some time.
I'm just not sure how it will work. I was feeling so twitchy with DH at work and the children at school whether they'd bring it home
Also at some point I want my life back. I want to go back to work.
I've always been careful to avoid people's germs before knowing a cold or chest infection could hospitalize me, it's just now hospital might not be able to fix me

I just wondered if people wanted to chat through how shielding will work when life starts it's new normal and we're stuck shielding.

OP posts:
Original poster
Didkdt · 17/04/2020 11:35

Start of March.
Anyway my point is I don't want us to live like that

OP posts:
Glittercandle · 17/04/2020 11:37

My 11 year old DS is shielding, he takes immune suppressants and also has ASD. Being at home for a long stretch isn’t going to be good for his mental health and adjusting back into school will be very difficult.

As he’s shielding I imagine it will be a long time until he goes back and most other children will have gone through the adjustment period of being back at school together. I also have a DD who is starting 6th form in September- I can’t keep her off as DS is shielding but worry she will bring it home with her. It’s a big mess.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 17/04/2020 11:47

I know it's probably too early, I know the government probably have no clue how this will pan out but I wish there was some information for us about the future.

Realistically, I can't see our jobs being held for us. Under existing legislation, if you are unable to do the job, after reasonable adjustments have been made, they can end your employment, so won't that apply now?

On top of that, will we all be expected to stay inside for months? What about things like hospital appointments or treatment? I've had two appointments so far, both over the telephone and both a bit pointless really. They just re booked for three months time in the hope that they would be "proper" appointments by then. I've got to go and have a blood test on Wednesday which is frightening me. They've given me an appointment first thing and blocked out the appointment after so it should be just me but it's still scary to go into the hospital knowing that there's a chance I can catch it there.

ClientQ · 17/04/2020 11:49

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras same, my consultant has changed my appointment to a phone one but I still need bloods Confused which means going to the same place my appointment would be!
Work need a copy of my shielding letter, and I still haven't received one so I've cried down the phone today already Blush

PhilCornwall1 · 17/04/2020 11:57

I'm in the shielding group, but once things open up and I can do client site visits, I'm back out there doing my job (if it's still around).

Because of how suppressed my immune system is, a case of the flu can end up with me being severely ill, we'll pretty much all infections will land me at the Doctors pretty sharpish too. I've lived knowing this before and will carry on with my life once the restrictions are lifted.

Tonemeth · 17/04/2020 12:13

Lost my post Sad

I would hope at the very least my job would be kept for me. Do you think we'll end up seeing shielding cover like mat cover?! But until I earn, i cant afford to eat. I'm doing another job from home just now on reduced hours, but that isnt sustainable for the company long term.

I wonder if any pip entitlement will kick in - I'm on LR mobility, can I have high given i cant make any journeys?!

The thing is, a lot of those shielding wont even be ill per se or disabled. Will shielding become a disability depending on time scales?!

Original poster
Didkdt · 17/04/2020 12:20

@ClientQ I think hospitals are now running drive through phlebotomy.
@PhilCornwall1 I've wondered about this, the difference is for other infections they've had something to treat it with, steroids IV antibiotics etc there is no treatment and my lungs are so weak it seems so different

OP posts:
Tonemeth · 17/04/2020 12:23

My biggest issue is the treatment would cause irreparable damage to my lungs which are already damaged from chemo.

PhilCornwall1 · 17/04/2020 12:24

@Didkdt I'm prepared to take the risk, I've got to earn and if possible try to come out of this with my job. Some may see me as crazy, but life is a risk and I see this as no different to any other risk in life.

ArkAtEee · 17/04/2020 13:26

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras I have regular bloods taken, but my GP is sending someone out to people's houses to do them, might be worth checking if your hospital can send the bloods form to GP?

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 17/04/2020 13:41

Thanks @ArkatEee. It's the GP that has ordered the bloods, I'm under shared care between hospital and GP because hospital is quite a distance from where I live. So hospital tells GP what to prescribe and GP prescribes it and monitors bloods between hospital visits. I had to ring my local hospital ( to book the blood test) explained I was shielding and what the procedure was. This is it apparently - the appointments are ten minutes each and they've blocked out the one after me so I shouldn't bump into anyone on the way out I suppose, as long as next patient isn't early. Hoping that previous patient wasn't late either. I still need to walk through the hospital to get to blood test clinic though. It's hard isn't it? We forget just how straightforward this all was only a couple of months ago.

Keepdistance · 17/04/2020 13:56

Im not shielding just vulnerable due to asthma.
Im very concerned about when schools go back.
There was a case in the school before they broke up so it's likely to flare up here again.
Even with just asthma i think i might still have a 6% chance of dying from covid.
There is no way you can distance from kids. Weve already caught something in lockdown and all 4 of us got it.
I would have to let dp dress them /get ready for school drop off and pick up but tbh it wouldnt matter because I literally wouldnt be able to touch anything in the house.
Have to say though i dont feel safe sending the kids back either way even if it is supposed to be low risk some will die and there's 400 kids there and the adults. And you are basically then dependent on all the parents choices and luck.
There are 1.4m shielding so over 1/66 people. Then all the vulnerable with asthma diabetes/pregnant etc.

dannydyerismydad · 17/04/2020 14:18

DH is shielding. His employers are happy for him to work from home and probably will continue to allow it for some time to come.

My biggest worry is the schools reopening. We had a call from DH's consultant at the hospital a few days before lockdown asking us to pull DS out of school. I assume that if lockdown lifts before shielding lifts we will have to continue to home Ed DS.

I work in a school, but in the office. I could probably work whilst social distancing, but I don't know how DH could work and supervise DS. It's messy.

Tonemeth · 17/04/2020 14:21

It sounds so difficult for all of you with kids, it sounds like no matter what happens there will be an element of chance in it with regards to exposure Flowers

I wish the gov would give an idea of what they're thinking- anyone shielding surely realises they cant just go back to normal on the 18 june. cant they be a bit more upfront?

PhilCornwall1 · 17/04/2020 14:39

I wish the gov would give an idea of what they're thinking- anyone shielding surely realises they cant just go back to normal on the 18 june. cant they be a bit more upfront?

I am sure their guidance, if we need it, will be to come to an individual agreement with your employer.

The bottom line is, when the government knows the NHS can cope, that will be the end of their involvement with your everyday life, apart from jacking up taxes to pay for all of this.

FourTeaFallOut · 17/04/2020 14:57

Even with just asthma i think i might still have a 6% chance of dying from covid.

That 6% figure really isn't helpful. Firstly, that is a figure that could well be incredibly overstated for a mild asthmatic or radically under stated for someone with severe lung illnesses.

Even between this with severe lung illnesses it isn't clear cut. I would still be asked to shield if I were me and 80 years old but I'd have another 40 years worth of scarring on my lungs and with the disadvantage that I wouldn't have had access to inhaled steroids as a kid.

Tonemeth · 17/04/2020 14:59

I am sure their guidance, if we need it, will be to come to an individual agreement with your employer.

That's not what I mean, I mean i want to know what they're likely to recommend wrt shielding longterm.

I think there is likely to be more guidance than that, and I would hope there will be. It will be interesting to see if and what that is though.

ZiggeryZaggy · 17/04/2020 15:00

The latest updates I have seen say that the Government has updated the guidance to say that employees who are shielding can be included in the furlough scheme - not just employees who would have been made redundant otherwise.

ZiggeryZaggy · 17/04/2020 15:02

www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme

I have seen other sources clarifying that the redundancy aspect no longer applies - and that employees who live with a shielded family member can also be furloughed. This is the choice of the employer though, it doesn’t seem that they have to agree to it.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 17/04/2020 15:03

I just can't see how, in June, or whenever lockdown ends they can just send us all back out there. The virus will still be there. The risk will still be there.

Tonemeth · 17/04/2020 15:04

I thought that was always the case (or at least what Martin Lewis was advising haha)? The issue again is what happens when furlough ends but shielding continues.

ZiggeryZaggy · 17/04/2020 15:05

Also, I think the disability act might well apply here, in terms of jobs being kept open when employees have to shield because of having a medical condition that means the government says it they cannot do face to face work.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 17/04/2020 15:05

I think that's the big question isn't it? Also.what happens to all of the children who are shielded? Will they be home schooled?

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 17/04/2020 15:07

ZiggeryZaggy

But the disability act doesn't compel employers to keep you on, does it, if you are unable to do the job after reasonable adjustments or if no reasonable adjustments can be made? Won't that apply here?

Tonemeth · 17/04/2020 15:12

But they have to at least try - maybe there will be something put in place. Who knows.
But the equalities act could make it more difficult to get rid of people quickly? Worst case I'd like to think I could exhaust my sick leave (although I'm not sick...) especially given every one I work with immediately took 2 weeks on full pay sick leave as soon as the government announced people self isolating etc should be paid ssp etc. I'm the only one who didnt...