Would you take the test?

[Inoneminute]

You're feeling really rubbish, you know it's likely you've got CV but you're not ill enough to need any medical care.

To have a test you have to leave your home/bed and then you'll get a call from PHE asking you to identify any contacts, who will then have to self isolate for 14 days, even without symptoms. Some of those people will lose money by having to take time off work.

Or you could stay at home and self isolate 7/14 (?) days until you're well, as per the previous guidance and avoid any bad feeling from the people you "stitch up" and cost money.

What is to be gained for the individual in taking the test? I know, greater good etc, but I'm not sure the public is in that kind of mood anymore. How do we make sure the people who need it actually bother having a test so their contacts can be traced?

[bestsquirrelinthewholehole]

Yes because I work with vulnerable people. I couldn't live with myself if I potentially passed it on to someone who worked in a keyworking role, like myself, and passed it on and someone died because of me not taking a test and potential people being traced. Because my "worry" was they would miss out on cash!!

[TerrapinStation]

@Inoneminute

Yes that was my point, Naturalbornwoman. If I've said it was Thursday but my friend/colleague/client thinks it was Wednesday before the cut off, who's memory do they go with? Surely the system can't work if named contacts are free to say they have been wrongly identified?

Honestly, you're looking for problems, what's the chance that there would be 2 people unable to remember or have any way of reminding themselves when they met up?

That's going to be a tiny number of instances if any, should they abandon the whole system for the poor of memory?

[imsooverthisdrama]

Well maybe start timing how long you are in contact with others then .
If it's 10 minutes then it's contact , it's not 14 minutes 55 seconds is ok then at 15 minutes it's not .
It's just passing people that sort of thing is low risk so if you regularly spend a few minutes with your colleagues less than 2 metres it's contact .
It's common sense .
If Jane thinks it was 10 minutes and you 15 minutes it's still contact .

[TerrapinStation]

@Unshriven

I won't take the test.

I'm not salaried for a start.

I have no intention of handing over other people's contact details to a government agency, potentially costing those people time/money.

The test is unpleasant, and pointless unless you are hospitalised.

Most people won't be harmed by the virus, most who might be are shielded. And it looks as though it isn't as easy to spead or catch as initially thought.

But you don't mind potentially sentencing someone to serious illness or death?

If your contact doesn't know to isolate and they are infected they could then infect a vunerable person. Tbh that's a really selfish attitude

[Inoneminute]

Well yes, most of the people I come into contact with will be through work, whibhets to decide if there's been meaningful enough contact. I say it was about 20 mins, they think it was closer to 10?

I know it's all what ifs and we need something that's as good as it can be but I genuinely don't see how or why people are going to comply, especially people on low incomes, with poor t&c doing the kinds of work most likely to expose them. Supermarkets, other retail and leisure once it opens, delivery drivers, fast food restaurants etc.

[imsooverthisdrama]

I think your picking holes in it ,
If you have symptoms you then take a test if it's positive you are asked to name anyone you have been in close contact with , that means anyone you have spent more than 15 minutes with less than 2 metres without ppe . So if you saw Mary last week for 1 hour and you hugged then that would be someone you had contact with . If you saw Mary at a social distance then there is no risk. So of course you don't mention people that you pass are 2 metres away .
I'm not sure if there is a cut off as such if you saw Mary on Tuesday or Wednesday what does it matter did you come in contact yes or no ? That's the question not I don't remember what day it was .
You shouldn't be in close proximity with anyone at the minute anyway unless you have to ie work.

[Inoneminute]

Yes that was my point, Naturalbornwoman. If I've said it was Thursday but my friend/colleague/client thinks it was Wednesday before the cut off, who's memory do they go with? Surely the system can't work if named contacts are free to say they have been wrongly identified?

[imsooverthisdrama]

Of course you will find negatives in it but just like the lockdown so many ignored it had parties mixed households etc but the majority did follow it so therefore the deaths dropped the infection rate dropped.
You don't need every single person in the country to comply you just need a majority and most will follow and do this .

[NaturalBornWoman]

I might know I met a friend one day last week, I might not be 100% which day it was.

But presumably when your friend is called she’ll be in a position to say yes I did meet Inone but it was Tuesday not Thursday? Also for the foreseeable future you aren’t going to be within 2 metres of your friends anyway.

[Inoneminute]

I wondered that, Eggead, or just being mistaken? Especially as we get closer to normal, peope won't always recall who they've been in contact with accurately. E.g. I might know I met a friend one day last week, I might not be 100% which day it was.

[Egghead68]

What’s to stop infected people naming people as contacts maliciously/mischievously?

[imsooverthisdrama]

But you'd have to be in close contact with someone to get the virus/ symptoms then get a test .
So if you have been in close contact with someone then got symptoms the possibility is you may have the virus so why would you not take a test? .
I'm still at home and I only go to the supermarket which is social distancing so it's extremely unlikely I'll pick up any symptoms .
My dh is working there is social distancing in place and again the risk is low but not impossible he doesn't mix with anyone at the minute.
The more mixing the more risk it is but it's got to be lower than before lockdown Before we had social distancing .
Before lockdown I'd probably be in contact with 100s of people now its my household.

[Inoneminute]

How would you get access to a test kimlo? There is no provision to have a test unless you have symptoms. If you've had contact, no symptoms (ie lie and say you have symptoms to get a test for work) and test negative, that doesn't mean you won't develop it, it just means you haven't got it yet.

[kimlo]

if I rang work and said I had symptoms or I had to self isolate because someone in my house had symptoms, the first thing they would say to me is that I had to take a test.

[Inoneminute]

I also think its easier to make decision that affect you than it is to risk damaging someone else. For example, I'd find it much easier to take a decision, for the greater good, that only affected me than I would to inflict that on my neighbours.

[Unshriven]

I won't take the test.

I'm not salaried for a start.

I have no intention of handing over other people's contact details to a government agency, potentially costing those people time/money.

The test is unpleasant, and pointless unless you are hospitalised.

Most people won't be harmed by the virus, most who might be are shielded. And it looks as though it isn't as easy to spead or catch as initially thought.

[Dinosauratemydaffodils]

If they'll post it out yes. Otherwise it would be a bit of a nightmare. Haven't found a mask I can wear without triggering my ptsd so I imagine I won't be accessing health care for the foreseeable future. Can't drive when my mental health is screwed up so dh would need to take me which would mean taking the kids as well

However dh has been told he will be working from home at least part time until into 2021 so it's not particularly hard for us.

[Inoneminute]

They gave people pretty hefty financial incentives to comply with lockdown, on the whole people who didn't work were well compensated and on top of that we know there has been a mood change in recent days.

[imsooverthisdrama]

Well you could argue how do we get people to comply to the lockdown but they did.
Some won't but most will and that's it we just need the majority to comply like the the lockdown.
Of course not everyone has followed lockdown but enough have for it to make a difference.

[Inoneminute]

imsooverthisdrama, I agree. What I don't know is how we get people to comply when it will be to the detriment of their immediate families to do so.

[imsooverthisdrama]

It will work if we all do it ,
This lockdown won't end fully until this virus is controlled properly.
Yes we are slowly getting back to normal and yes if we get contacted to say we need to isolate it'll be a pain , I've just done nearly 10 weeks I can manage 14 days .
I'm happy to do anything to get back to normal as quickly as possible. This isn't living queuing for 15 minutes+ to get in the supermarket and the 1 way system, not able to see family unless outside in the park . Can you imagine if it's still like this in the winter .
And of course jobs /schools etc the economy.

[Cutangle]

You can get tests posted to you

[Inoneminute]

As far as I can see, tests are at drive.i centres? How do you get a test if you don't drive or are too unwell to drive. Take the bus with symptoms and walk up? Ask a taxi driver to take you to the CV testing centre?!

I assume there must be a solution I just don't know what it is.

[halcyondays]

How easy is it to get a test now? If you had to drive for it I can’t drive and
If DH took me then he would be put at risk of catching it and he’s vulnerable. So unless you could get a home test I wouldn’t. I may possibly have already had it but this was when they weren’t testing everyone so can’t be sure. And people who do drive but are too ill to would want home tests.

We already have track and trace here in NI, no app, they just phone you if someone who’s tested positive has identified you as a contact. I don’t really go anywhere.

If people have been at a party or something illegal would they get into trouble if they admitted this when naming contacts?

Apparently the R number inNI has moved slightly since they started To ease restrictions.

[Mrhodgeymaheg]

This idea will not work unless people will be paid where employers only give SSP and employers can't count having to self-isolate against the employee in disciplinary proceedings, or it will be ignored. Another flawless idea from the government