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Original poster

DD's work colleague tested positive, now what?

24 replies

thatsallineed · 27/05/2020 15:26

Sorry to be a pain - searched online and advice is ambiguous.

Adult DD lives at home with us and her employer just telephoned to say that a work colleague of hers has tested positive for Covid 19. She last worked with this colleague a week ago (they have been doing 1 week on, 1 week off) and her boss has told her that she needs to isolate for 7 more days.

So for the last week she's not been isolating at all, as she didn't know. What about the rest of the household? We have been living for a week in a house with someone who is now having to isolate. Do the rest of us isolate or not?

She's going to have a test now, and we can all have one too. Do we need to wait until after her test to find out whether she has it, or do we need to all isolate now?

OP posts:
howdidwegetheremary · 27/05/2020 15:28

Initially it was just the person who had contact needed to isolate from the whole family but not the family iyswim.

Good news that it’s been 7 days and no symptoms.

nasalspray · 27/05/2020 15:30

Do any of you have symptoms? What's her job?

dementedpixie · 27/05/2020 15:37

I think the majority of people get symptoms within 5 days although I suppose she could have it and be asymptomatic. I dont know about the whole isolation thing for the rest of you though

Trevsadick · 27/05/2020 15:38

can you get a test?

My employer can organise tests for the household if one has symptoms.

NotEverythingIsBlackandWhite · 27/05/2020 15:41

Your DD needs to self-isolate within your house for the next 7 days. My understanding is that, as your DD doesn't have symptoms, you do not need to isolate too (although obviously keep apart from DD). If you develop symptoms then you need to isolate for 14 days.

However, I wouldn't risk the chance of being asymptomatic with the ability to transmit it to others, particularly more vulnerable people, so, if I was in your position, I would definitely ensure I had no contact with my DD and did not go out unless and until negative test results are received for you all.

Original poster
thatsallineed · 27/05/2020 15:47

@Trevsadick

can you get a test?

My employer can organise tests for the household if one has symptoms.

Her employer has said the same.
OP posts:
Trevsadick · 27/05/2020 16:59

I would get a test, then.

I went last Wednesday lunchtime and had the results back by Friday morning. I woild suggest going in the car if you can.

But yes isolate until the test comes back negative.

I had one because my sense of smell and taste has been gone since i was ill in feb. With the new guidelines, I was told I need to isolate until they returned or I had a test. So Isolated from Monday night (when the advice came out) to Friday morning.

Trevsadick · 27/05/2020 17:01

sorry, forgot to say nhs said ds and dd needed to self isolate too.

But i am not sure thats the current advice.

dementedpixie · 27/05/2020 17:07

You had symptoms though which is why your family had to isolate. OP and family dont have symptoms

rainbowunicorn · 27/05/2020 17:27

@Trevsadick why would Op's daughter or anyone else in the family get a test. None of them have symptoms. The only person that needs to isolate is the OP's DD for 7 more days. Nobody else in the house needs to isolate unless the DD starts showing symptoms at which point she can along with her household get tested.

The amount of wrong info given out on these threads beggars belief. If you look on the government website OP it is all there in black and white what you need to do.

Owwlie · 27/05/2020 17:27

Symptomatic or not you have to isolate.

If you have symptoms you isolate for 7 days.
If you don’t have symptoms and have had contact with someone who has the virus then you isolate for 14 days.
If you get symptoms during the 14 days isolation then you only isolate for a further 7 days.

Owwlie · 27/05/2020 17:30

The DD should isolate for 14 days as she has no symptoms. It says that on the gov website. 14 days if asymptomatic, 7 if symptomatic. Unless she gets a negative test.

Although, it does only say if you live with someone who’s positive/symptomatic. But as they have had contact I’m assuming that’s why the employer wants her to isolate. And going forward with the track and trace it’ll be if you’ve had close contact, not just someone you live with.

Trevsadick · 27/05/2020 17:36

rainbowunicorn because she has had contact with someone who tested positive. She has potentially contracted and had further contact with other people. Op says her employer is organising her dd test. So why wouldn't she take it?

You had symptoms though which is why your family had to isolate. OP and family dont have symptoms

Actually, NHS were baffled because as I had had symptoms over 60 days I wasnt classed as having symptoms. Which is why work organised the test. Not the through 111. Though they gave me the standard advice.
Its like ringing and saying 'have i had a cough for 2 months' - hugely unlikely to be covid.

Weepinggreenwillow · 27/05/2020 19:01

umm no. this is NOT the current guidance. You only need to isolate is someone in your house has symptoms/is tested positive, in which case the initial symptomatic person isolates for 7 days, other household members for 14 days.
You do not need to isolate because someone you work with tests positive. (this may change when track and trace comes in but it is not current guidance.)

BeltaneBride · 27/05/2020 19:19

I am completely confused. Why is that if you symptoms you isolate for them not 7 days, no symptoms and it's 14! I presume the rationale is that if you have symptoms you caught it 7 days ago and therefore half 'your' 14 days had elapsed, but I see a perverse incentive to catch it to get it over with and only have 7 days to serve!

StrawberryJam200 · 27/05/2020 19:29

It's really worrying that we're unsure of the answer here.....

Imaystillbedrunk · 27/05/2020 19:35

Anyone can book a test, I had one Sunday afternoon and got the results Monday evening. They would at least tell you whether she is asymptotic. Then if she isolates for another 7 days she's completed her 14 days

dementedpixie · 27/05/2020 20:30

@BeltaneBride those with symptoms isolate for 7 days. The rest of the family isolate for 14 days as that's the incubation period. If during those 14 days someone else gets symptoms then they then isolate for 7 days

Original poster
thatsallineed · 28/05/2020 15:43

DD's work involves close contact with colleagues. Her colleague has tested positive, and we have just learned that another is unwell.

But. They are working one week on and one week off in teams and DD had just had her week off. Which is why her employer told her she only has to isolate for 7 days, because she's effectively done 7 days already.

She's now been tested today, but they said that they won't test the rest of our household unless her test comes back positive.

OP posts:
imsooverthisdrama · 28/05/2020 15:52

When you say worked with is it less than 2 metres contact without ppe ?
If so the contact must have taken place 2 days before or 7 days after symptoms appear . So no she won't need to isolate.if that's what happened but if the person got their symptoms more recently which is what may have happened then yes .

www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-52442754

Original poster
thatsallineed · 28/05/2020 23:00

@imsooverthisdrama Thank you - her boss contacted her and told her what she has to do and she is following their guidance.

OP posts:
Original poster
thatsallineed · 30/05/2020 17:36

She's had the result, and it's negative.
Phew.

OP posts:
pfrench · 30/05/2020 18:01

This thread demonstrates perfectly how badly the government have handled the messaging. No one has a clue do they?

Original poster
thatsallineed · 30/05/2020 22:25

@pfrench

This thread demonstrates perfectly how badly the government have handled the messaging. No one has a clue do they?
If you'd been worried sick about your daughter, you'd have asked clarification questions too.

Now take your soapbox and fuck off.

OP posts:
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