How stressful is this winter going to be?

[ChateauMargaux]

Three days ago I had a scratchy throat, I gargled, then woke up with a blocked and runny nose. We had an outing planned with 8 school friends and one other parent, we are not in the UK and these sized gatherings are allowed. I had a bath to sweat it out and stuck my head in the sand and did not cancel. When I got home, I checked my temperature and it was 38.5.

I booked a test and informed everyone we had been with during the day. It was a bloody stressful nightmare. I should have cancelled and I didn't. The consequences of a positive result could have been awful. 8 families that would have had to quarantine for 10 days plus 2 people at the karting centre that I was within 2 metres off plus then, going back 10 days (would I need to inform every place I had been to in the past 10 days?

Total and utter stress, thinking about the possible consequences of my decision.

Is this what the next few months will be like? The listed symptoms here that need to tested are one of: sore throat, fever, cough, loss of smell.

I am dreading this rollercoaster of stress, though admittedly, I won't be making the same mistake twice!!

Well next time cancel, or at least inform everyone so they can make their own risk assessments

I think this winter is going to be very stressful. We need to build our resilience by looking after ourselves properly and making sure we build in time for relaxation and things we enjoy, and by encouraging ourselves to notice the small beautiful things in life.

Yes pretty stressful I'd imagine. We're lucky in that apart from my DC's going to school we can pretty much hibernate until next Spring.
Lots of vitamins, sleep and deep breathing (and in my case probably some diazepam occasionally too).

“The consequences of a positive result could have been awful. 8 families that would have had to quarantine for 10 days plus 2 people at the karting centre that I was within 2 metres of”

What on earth were you thinking of going out? The ‘awful’ consequence of a positive test’ ie having Covid would be making the people you were in contact with ill, and possibly seriously

You made a very poor decision

The consequence of a positive test would have had stressful knock-on effects for all those other people - and would have been entirely your fault for choosing to go out when you knew you weren't right - particularly if you knew you needed to have a bath to 'sweat it out' which shows you know that it was a temp you were running before you went out and then only took your temp when you came home.

It's going to be stressful. Moreso when people feel compelled to go to work/ be sociable/ send their kids to school because it's much harder to face the knock on consequences of testing for coronavirus and isolating than it is to mutter 'just a cold' and then carry on your merry way.

Oh god I hope sore throat isn’t added to the list here. I have sore throats several days a week.

Test and trace is going to be swamped.

If loads of people are back in schools and offices in Sept, the number of coughs and colds is going to shoot up.
It’s going to be insanely disruptive.

I just don’t understand why you still went out? Even if it wasn’t COVID you were clearly coming down with something?

Wouldn't it have made more sense to take you temperature before going out than when you got home?

I struggle mentally in the winter and have my SAD lamp at the ready!.I have no idea how dreadful it could potentially be as I already hate Oct to march.I fully chilled in lockdown so I hope I have built up some reserves for this testing time.

It's simply going to be a nightmare. Covid plus all of the normal winter bugs is going to equal a lot of self isolating and Covid tests!

As a teacher and a parent I can see school attendance for pupils and staff being massively affected.