Quarantine buddies - anybody out there also paying the price for having got away?

[Pacif1cDogwood]

Just back from Tenerife.

Holiday was planned almost a year ago, when Covid was not on the horizon.
Flew out after quarantining for Spain was lifted, all of Spain back on the list shortly after our arrival. Foreign Office continued to advice to stay put and not cut holiday short (would have cost several ££££ to bring 5 of us back at short notice anyway, was prohibitive).

So, lovely time was had, we are now back and my hope against hope that the Canaries would have had some sort of special dispensation has obviously not come to pass. Ho hum. Sitting at home, will be working from home, DSs will be missing start of school (Scotland) and dog is under walked....

Anybody else who'd like a moan and mutual support?

We should have had a quarantine in place in the few weeks before lockdown though, when thousands were arriving back from half term skiing in Italy ..

If having a test doesn't get you out of quarantine then why can we go back to work/school on receipt of a negative test?

If having a test doesn't get you out of quarantine then why can we go back to work/school on receipt of a negative test?

Can you?? Where are you?

I think it is because we are all asymptomatic, but have (in theory) had a higher risk of contact and could be carriers - all the tests are pretty rubbish (up to 30% false negatives) in identifying asymptomatic carriers and the risk is seen as too high to allow returning travellers to risk in their communities.

I think, that's the reasoning.

Can you?? Where are you?

England.

It hasn't happened to me so maybe I've misunderstood. But one of my friends said she had a temperature on a Tuesday night, got tested Wednesday morning, negative result back Wednesday night and back in school teaching on Thursday morning. Only one day of work missed.

Is that not how it's supposed to work?

Yes, the rules are different if you have symptoms ie a fever.
I could make some symptoms up?

No, quarantine for 14 days for ALL returners from Spain, Luxemburg, Belgium and wherever.

We got off the plane in Gran Canaria, and switched our phones on to read that we had to quarantine when we got back. Been home 9 days now, freedom on Sunday. Can work from home so that’s fine, but my first grandchild was born yesterday so I can’t meet him till then

manicinsomniac If you have symptoms and have a negative test result then the symptoms are probably caused by something different to coronavirus, so once you are feeling better it is fine to no longer isolate. If you return well from somewhere else then the 14 days is to give you a chance to develop anything that you have caught. If you then develop symptoms you test and if positive would need to isolate for longer.

Following last night's announcement, we'll be joining you on the quarantine list from Sunday!
Would love to hear your ideas for keeping occupied at home - have DC aged 8 and 6. DH & I will be able to WFH but need ideas for the kids really!

Aw, Pennys, sorry you are caught up in the France situation!

I'll not lie to you - we are BORED!

It's worse than the height of lockdown as are completely stuck in the house - keep having to remind myself how lucky we are to have a garden, and grocery deliveries, and supportive friends who walk the dog etc etc.

This too shall pass and it is hardly the worst thing in the world, but aaaaargh!

My boys are between 10 and 17 so they are coping with long lie-ins in the morning, unlimited screen time with bursts on the trampoline/running around the house and a more generous snack allowance than normally. Sigh.

We will also be joining you due to the France chaos, as of next week when we get back - I'd also love some ideas for entertaining the DCs, especially as we will be back into fulltime work. Also, has anyone as yet had a call / text/ visit from anyone checking they are quarantining? Not because we plan to flout the rules, just because I hate the unknown and would like to know the sort of things they ask and of they'll want to come into our house if we are at home which is a bit weird.

Welcome, IAmTheWaiting, sorry you are part of this club.

NOBODY is going to come to your home! They don't have the resources to check by phone, never mind in person.

We are a week in to our quarantine experience.
Today is the second day I have not change out of my nightie.
Just saying'.
Kids are feral and screen addicts.
No, I'm not proud.

Thank you for quarantining @Pacif1cDogwood. Glad you were able to have a lovely time given booked over a year ago.

@Pacif1cDogwood When does quarantine end please, is it exactly 14 days to the hour of when you arrive back on english soil or did they count it as until the end of the day you get back? Our DCs go back literally into school the day after but if it's by the hour we'd be free again to take them for a celebratory "freedom" afternoon trip the day before so trying to figure it out.

Hope you're surviving, ours starts tomorrow.

We're 10 day in - huzzah!

No idea how accurate the '14 days' are to be interpreted.
We landed 5 minute to midnight, and I am going to allow my boys' father to collect them from that evening, so about 5 hrs earlier. I am prepared to accept the risk, as is he

They will be back at school on Monday coming. Phew!

Interesting how returning British travellers weren't allowed through passport control until they had handed over personal details (inc passport details), online, to an unspecified contractor managing this data for the Govt.

Who knows what that data will be used for, how it will be stored or who it will be shared with.

So essentially mandatory sign up to contact tracing.

Now, I could understand that if that was condition existed before people left the country. But it was introduced after they left.
Cynics would say thats a side benefit of quarantine.

I thought the same @dameofdilemma but there was nothing we could do to avoid it :(

Yes, I understand these concerns also.
However compared to the personal data that Tesco, Amazon et al hold on me, it probably pales in to insignificance.
Having grown up in a country where ID cards with the address on are the norm and required by law, I suppose I am more accepting of this.

That Mr Tesco knows what brand of toilet paper I prefer otoh.... . I once started a thread about the Clubcard nonsense on here and got shot down in flames about how marvellous it all was!

Has anyone who is in quarantine actually had a follow up call/visit. Everyone I know says they were never contacted, seems a bit of a joke

So we booked our holiday to one of the Greek Islands, which we're due to fly out to next week, a year ago and now the media is saying Greece will be next on the quarantine list! Expected to happen the day we fly out...Gah.... No cases on the island and we're flying direct. We're keeping ourselves to ourselves this week and next to minimize any possibility of a positive test on arrival and are looking at buying one trip travel insurance through Battleface in case the FCO advice changes. DH spoke to his boss today who was completely supportive of him quarantining when we get back and WFH. We are (sadly) kiddie free, so no issues with schools. DM put some doubt in my head tonight saying do we really need to go but I'm inclined to think yes, it's going to be a long winter... Feel like we've covered everything?

I heard my colleague returning to Australia had to spend 14 days with his partner in a hotel room where they weren't allowed to open the window or leave (did have Aircon though). That would test ones relationship.

@spierse on other threads I've had people replying saying they've had calls to check they understand the quarantine. not heard of anyone being visited as yet. I think that probably only happens if anyone reports you for rulebreaking maybe?

I had to quarantine last month after returning from Portugal. It was well worth it but, as others are finding, pretty boring!

For those asking when the 14 days ends, you count the day you arrive back in the UK (even if it is in the evening) as day one. I know this because I got a call the day after we retuned and they went through our obligations and what to do if we got ill, etc. I was pleasantly surprised as had factored in an extra day.

Day 4 here.
Organised an online delivery to arrive first thing the morning after we’d arrived - not done that before in this house (Arsehole neighbours), and predictably another top up order that came yesterday because we’d ordered from memory... still if we manage to piss them off by bringing vans up the drive, double bonus!

Semi organised now.

We’d prepared for quarantine but were expecting it to be lifted (Portugal)

The trip away was absolutely essential, I’ve struggled a bit mentally with living in this chaos mostly due to the hideous virtue signalling, the curtain twitchers, the perma-terrified and the dementors. I was at the end of my tether tbh and couldn’t stand another second of sharing a small island with them.

Portugal is a calm and organised space, everyone wears masks, nobody pretends rules done apply to them, everything way safer than it is in the uk.

I was in the middle of nowhere Nearest town there was 30 mins drive, literally everyone wearing masks and hand sanitising.
Where I live in rural uk, far too many people who don’t think rules apply.

Now I couldn’t be less worried about Covid for myself, I’m pretty sure I had it at the beginning of the year, but I’ll do whatever I have to do. It’s not a problem, schools back in sept, h working from home, it’s sad I can’t see friends, but we’ll catch up at some point.

@TimeForLunch - I’m on day 5 then! Result! Yay!!!! Thanks

@Mothermorph

I'd never really thought about that - that quarantine was implemented with immediate effect a few weeks ago and yet we let the world and his wife arrive from anywhere and everywhere without quarantine, until about June!

That is still happening though, as this thread shows. What happens if you venture out of this quarantine. You know like for food or exercise. Probably nothing right?