The costs of self isolating.Do you think people will have to risk their symptoms in winter?

[whatisforteamum]

I've had a week off and never off sick so I had accrued see sick pay while my test went through.My dh as far as I know will get SSP..bu gger all.!
Surely people on low incomes cannot afford.to do the right thing going especially as we head into winter and all the bugs?
Am I missing something.I am all for following the guidance and have done through out.Who can afford.to self isolate though.

I worry that too many people will go in to work or send their children in to school during the initial few days when symptoms are vague, nothing you can exactly say is Covid like symptoms & the ones who insist on going to work or school while ever they can walk. How many employers are going to stand for parents who have to stay at home if children are sent home due to cases within their bubbles or due to their children having vague symptoms?

It’s been known since March that self isolation may need to be done so people have had time to prepare. It would be highly selfish to not self isolate and test if there are symptoms as risking the health and lives of others is incomprehensible imo.

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss

Doesn't matter how long you have to prepare if you have no money to save

I think having symptoms and not self isolating you could argue is selfish but like twinkletoesimnot says having no money will push people into difficult decisions.
And if you had no money in march and live on the breadline thats unlikely to be different now.
What about a track and trace call, sat in a cafe at the same time as a positive case, that lowers the chances of risk compared to having symptoms yourself, how many with no money will isolate in that example.

What is the actaul monetry value for isolating per week if on min wage?

Haven't looked properly but roughly £400 wage minus ssp minus a bit less tax paid so £ 300 ish in hard cash to isolate?

A very common, perhaps the most common symptom of Covid - especially if you’re young - is no symptoms! Perhaps I should tell my employer I’m displaying a common Covid “symptom” and have the next year off sick, when that “symptom” just won’t go away!

Most bugs dont cause the three main symptoms in adults - continuous cough, high temperature or loss of smell/taste. You only have to test and isolate if you have one or more of those.

I always get a continuous cough when I get a cold. It's a standing joke that I'll be sounding like a performing seal for a couple of weeks every time I catch a cold.

Many schools have the policy that even if your child gets a negative test result they have to stay off until their symptoms go. People will also have to factor that in if their child is too young to stay at home on their own.

@PinkSparklyPussyCat yes me too. And I teach: 5-7 year olds this year! It’s going to be ... interesting. Add to that a son with MH issues who escalates into violence if he feels ‘trapped’ inside ... I know I’ve had every warning since March & financially we are fortunate & will survive, but the emotional/mental health consequences are mind blowing. I dreamed about needing to get a test last night ... it came back inconclusive, so we had to carry on isolating. 😖

Many schools have the policy that even if your child gets a negative test result they have to stay off until their symptoms go. People will also have to factor that in if their child is too young to stay at home on their own.

I don't think this policy should be allowed. It will only encourage more people to a) not bother testing, even if they will self isolate, because why bother shoving a swab down your child's throat if they can't go back to school anyway, and this will lead to less accurate data on actual case numbers. And b) people ignoring the rules and sending kids in. If your child has a slight fever Sunday night, it's much easier to be honest and have them tested if a negative test will allow them back in on, say, Wednesday, than if they'll need two weeks off school and you'll need two weeks off work anyway. More people will just send the child in.

At my nieces school the parents have all received letters stating that pupils must not go into school if they have any symptoms, not just of covid, but any symptoms. They have to be kept home with any mild cold or stomach symptoms for example. How it will work I have no idea.

Good luck @freddiethegreat. I also cough from March to September with hay fever so this year has been fun so far.

To clarify, the school are saying that whether or not it is suspected Cv is not relevant....pupils will any symptoms of any illness (unless presumably chronic) must stay at home.

@PinkSparklyPussyCat I wince for you!

Dadnotamum it is 95 pounds per week sick pay to isolate as far as I know.

If a child develops or displays symptoms of COVID at school they will immediately isolated (have to sit outside in the playground with a staff member appropriately distanced) and will need to be collected straight away and have a test.
If parents send their child in with symptoms they will just be called straight back to collect them.

And if you had no money in march and live on the breadline thats unlikely to be different now.
What about a track and trace call, sat in a cafe at the same time as a positive case, that lowers the chances of risk compared to having symptoms yourself, how many with no money will isolate in that example.

People can reduce their own risk of being traced and forced to isolate by complying with social distancing and avoiding situations which make that difficult, like cafes and pubs and mixing households indoors. Just like people who are being massively inconvenienced by having to quarantine after travel could have avoided the risk by not travelling. Support needs to be targeted at those who may be at higher risk through their work, they should get paid.

There should be less bugs around with people wearing masks, social distancing and more importantly washing hands regularly.

That is very true Bluebells, in theory if we are doing enough to limit the spread of covid, we should be seeing a huge dip in the levels of colds, flu, stomach bugs etc this winter. It will be interesting.

An observation from Australia where winter is nearly finished.

I usually get one or two nasty colds every winter. This year - nothing. I’m catching public transport to work every day and working in an open plan office. The state where I am has no mask requirements either. I think a big reason is people turning up to the office full of cold is not acceptable anymore in most workplaces. At my office you would be sent straight home and told to get a Covid test.

Like some previous posters I get a shocking post viral cough for weeks after most colds. I’m not sure how I would manage that with Covid around (I can’t work from home). It would probably mean at least a week off work if not more and having to drive in and pay for city centre parking. There are such low Covid numbers here I’m more worried about getting a cold!

Apparently flu has almost disappeared here due to Covid measures.

I've been made redundant and my dh is self employed we simply can not afford for him to have isolate, once possibly, but repeatedly no we couldn't do it. I'm not sure what the solution is in this scenario.

@RaspberryRuff

I was reading only yesterday that the loss of smell and taste is not like when you have a cold and a bunged up nose.

I agree though winter is going to be a nightmare, people aren’t going to do it, they’ll just not get tests, and that means contacts won’t be traced either.

What is it like then ?

A massive issue isn’t just the cost of isolating for self employed people, it’s also the impact on their clients. If they have a ‘job’ booked (thinking of the trades here), not being able to do it or find someone to cover for them could rightly lead that client to decide to use someone else for that and future work.

I don’t know what the answer is, but it’s pants.

Most bugs dont cause the three main symptoms in adults - continuous cough, high temperature or loss of smell/taste. You only have to test and isolate if you have one or more of those

I tend to have a persistent cough most winters - just one of those things

I really don't understand how low income households with young children and parents on SSP are going to cope. My dc's were regularly off school or suffering with coughs when they were at primary school and if DH and I had been required to isolate while waiting for a test result we would have both missed an incredible number of work days.

@YewHedge

If a child develops or displays symptoms of COVID at school they will immediately isolated (have to sit outside in the playground with a staff member appropriately distanced) and will need to be collected straight away and have a test. If parents send their child in with symptoms they will just be called straight back to collect them.

Of course, but a child with a temp on Saturday/Sunday that's gone by Monday could be sent to school (along with any siblings they have) with no one being any the wiser.