People are just going to not bother getting tested

[MNnicknameforCVthreads]

If they can’t get a test, surely people will think sod it and not bother.

I’m so angry with the government for not sorting their act out. It’s about time they were held accountable. In any other profession they’d have been sacked a long time ago for utter incompetence.

This is before you take into account all the people who can’t afford to self isolate.

If government want people to do this they need to pay them full pay.

AIBU?

Totally agree with Op. I've spent the last 48hrs refreshing that damn page. People will just give up and carry on as usual.

The Government are totally to blame for this fiasco. They knew that the number of tests would need to increase as schools start back and winter approaches. They've had plenty of time to get this organised and they haven't. They also know people who can't get a test will likely go back to work/school and then they can blame us for the inevitable rise in cases. I am beyond livid at our Government right now. Please don't turn on each other. Hold the Government to account for this mess.

The government guidelines don’t seem to make sense until you view them in the light of blame management rather than virus management. Then it’s suddenly crystal clear. Six months in, we could have a functional test and trace system - if they wanted one. That we don’t have one tells us that it’s never been important to them. If it was, it would exist.

I am guessing a significant number of the blame-monger posters are here to spread the Tory message, just like they did for the referendum. They come to MN sowing distrust and resentment of all the people getting it wrong in various ways and stoking the divisions higher and higher to distract us all from what’s happening. It was so successful for Brexit, I wish we could fight against it over this.

I understand you’re feeling really stressed but the country will fall down completely if everyone that has a cold goes into isolation alongside their family for 14 days. It’s not going to happen.

You can't dismiss a person with ALL the symptoms as having a cold though. You do not know that it's just a cold any more then the poster who has the cold. I do understand the economic impact and I don't support anyone staying off work with a cold for 14 days but if you have all the symptoms of covid then you should not be going to work.

@Parker231

Some posters are very ignorant to the real world. Not everyone will be getting paid if they stay at home if they or their family get a sniffle or cough. Going to work will be more important to them.

I'm not being ignorant to the real world. Covid is real. If someone has all the symptoms they should not be going to work.

@Squidsister

MJMG2015 Because Shamrocksunshine has already explained that she is on a temporary contract and cannot afford to lose her job. She works alone in an office and not with children.

Yes, but I didn't read that until after I replied to her earlier posts. MN is so slow & lacks functions that make it easy to reply to people after you've read the entire thread. Sorry

@roadsurvey - who will pay them to stay off work with symptoms? Not all employers will, especially if they aren’t actually sick.

@roadsurvey

Let me clarify. I had a mild sore throat (for one day) I then had a cough (that lasted for one day, with a low grade fever) followed by the cough and sore throat going and being left congested.

Now I am not a scientist, but I know that the above could mean a standard cold, or a mild case of covid.

Hence the testing to find out? That’s not that difficult to comprehend.

@Shamrocksunshine keep trying for a test. I started trying at 2am and managed to get one by 9am for later today. Was a pain and involved lots of re-entering details.

Let me clarify. I had a mild sore throat (for one day) I then had a cough (that lasted for one day, with a low grade fever) followed by the cough and sore throat going and being left congested.

Oh. You said you had been ill for days with all the symptoms in the post I originally replied to. Just ignore me then.

@Shamrocksunshine

I’ve been ill for days with all the symptoms. I’ve tried for three days straight to get a test, I’ve given up now. I’m feeling brighter today so I’ll be back at work (education) tomorrow.

I’m not self isolating when I have no idea if I have it or not.

I really hope you are kidding. And if you’re not, I hope you don’t work in my school.

[quote Shamrocksunshine]@roadsurvey

Let me clarify. I had a mild sore throat (for one day) I then had a cough (that lasted for one day, with a low grade fever) followed by the cough and sore throat going and being left congested.

Now I am not a scientist, but I know that the above could mean a standard cold, or a mild case of covid.

Hence the testing to find out? That’s not that difficult to comprehend.[/quote]
To be fair shamrock that isn't 'all' the symptoms of covid though.

@Shamrocksunshine

Hence the testing to find out? That’s not that difficult to comprehend.

Just wanted to add to my reply, I also thought you said you were not testing and were going back to work. Which was why I responded as I did. Clearly I mis read everything so as my PP just ignore me.

@roadsurvey We are coming into the coughs, cold and virus season. I could wake up tomorrow with a headache, cough and raised temp. I would usually take a lemsip and carry on and feel better after a day or two. Now with the threat of it being covid I should stay home for 10 days along with my household for 14 days. If I can get a test and it's negative we can all carry on. Can you see how without an available test there will be millions of people staying at home unnecessarily. Without a fit for purpose testing system the country will not function if these isolation rules are followed and the government know this full well.

@roadsurvey

I was correct it has been “days”.

I am now left with slight congestion. I would have liked a test that would have confirmed if it was covid or not. I have many nurses in my family who have tested positive for Covid with only mild symptoms.

I have since tried again online.... nothing!!

@CaptainBrickbeard

This government’s strategy is not to manage the spread of the virus. It’s to manage the blame for the spread of the virus.

They don’t need to invest in a proper test and trace system. They can hand a nice lucrative contract to their friends as usual and ignore the fact that it’s a shambles so long as they deflect the blame. Their divide and conquer strategy served them well over Brexit and it’s working even better now - people feel angrier at rule breakers/rule enforcers than they do at Leavers/Remainers.

It’s perfect for the government. People’s ire is at ‘those people getting tests when they don’t need it’ like it was at ‘selfish stockpilers’ in the supermarkets in March. Next it will be at those who are forced to choose between paying their rent and bills or self isolating - they’ll be vilified as the irresponsible super spreaders by taking their germs to work and school when they can’t get tested.

And of course, there will be lots of vitriol directed at reports of others breaking the rule of six and the exponential growth can be neatly blamed on them.

Schools have been given impossible guidance that makes no sense but when outbreaks occur in schools, this enables the govt again to blame it on teachers for not following the rules. Schools cannot win. Everyone is already pretty well primed to hate teachers anyway so they’re an easy target.

So long as everyone is angry at each other, the blame doesn’t stick where it actually belongs. Johnson’s government will not bother to work and invest in controlling the pandemic. Their sole priority is to avoid being blamed for the disaster.

I think unfortunately that their strategy is working.

This is both the most accurate and most depressing post I have ever read on MN.

I'm not being ignorant to the real world. Covid is real. If someone has all the symptoms they should not be going to work

Yes, you absolutely are. I don't work, I don't get paid. I'm not protected. Who's going to pay my bills? No one. Some of us truly have no choice, and you are very fortunate that you don't understand that.

@mrshoho

Can you see how without an available test there will be millions of people staying at home unnecessarily

Yes. Of course I can. I commented on one specific situation which it turns out wasn't even correct. Please ignore me.

Now with the threat of it being covid I should stay home for 10 days along with my household for 14 days. If I can get a test and it's negative we can all carry on. Can you see how without an available test there will be millions of people staying at home unnecessarily

^^This

I do not work in a school.

I work in an office, alone. Leaving thread now cannot keep repeating myself.

Yes, you absolutely are. I don't work, I don't get paid. I'm not protected. Who's going to pay my bills? No one. Some of us truly have no choice, and you are very fortunate that you don't understand that.

I am by no means in a fortunate position, I haven't given any personal details here so you are not really free to draw that conclusion. I did however read the list incorrectly and have acknowledged that fact and stated I should be ignored.

@Morfin it’s going to be a bleak winter 😭 The one hope I do have is that they will actually implement a programme that works when a vaccine becomes available because being hailed as saviours will be far more beneficial to the government and they’ll hope that competence there will erase people’s memory of the terrible incompetence which preceded it.

It's not just staff that can't afford to be off for 14 days. Business can't afford for their staff to be absent because of a cold. Our business is currently shut as it's not safe to operate, there is a cold (started with sneezing and sore throat) that has caused a persistent cough. My staff can't get tests, I've been trying for four days and finally got four tests, but that's not enough. So some will have to isolate (on SSP) for ten days and the four that get the test until the results return. It's only September we've calculated we can afford to close for 30 days, we have planned for the disruption but it was based on a testing regime that worked. We have already paid for private tests for a separate arm of the business as this is part we can not close. The government is at fault for failing to get a test and trace system that works.

This government’s strategy is not to manage the spread of the virus. It’s to manage the blame for the spread of the virus.
This with bells on.

I personally think the government are back to their herd immunity strategy.
Think about it, lack of testing sites so (as evident from this thread) people just ignore and carry on with life.

Rule of 6, however, you can meet as 6 people from 6 different households (if each of those people come from a household of 4 then you're exposed to 24 people, if each of those households are families made up of 2 school age kids you are exposed to 12 bubbles of other children).
In places like Birmingham, on extra restrictions, you can still go to the pub/restaurant etc just can't meet friends at your house - this earns the government money whereas meeting in your own house (which let's face it is no more of a risk than sitting in a pub or in a restaurant) doesn't.

Every decision this government is making is to ensure they earn taxes and to encourage the herd immunity spread. They couldn't care less.

ILoveMyMonkey iirc there has never been a virus that has achieved herd immunity without a vaccination. I'm more inclined to think they believe in eugenics/slashing the heath and social care bill.

Yes, you absolutely are. I don't work, I don't get paid. I'm not protected. Who's going to pay my bills? No one. Some of us truly have no choice, and you are very fortunate that you don't understand that.

DH has had one bit of work since March. Got job two coming up in a couple of weeks. There is no way he can afford not to so it, and that's the reality, because its going to be like this for a very long time yet so every bit of income is precious.
We are not to blame for that but we cannot afford for him to isolate.
BTW this is theoretical as we have no symptoms but yes if it came to it of course we have to put our finances first.