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?

Ofqual and government ministers have stated that GCSE’s and A levels will go ahead in 2021. So no parent of a year 11 /13 are going to go along with them isolating for several chunks of 2 week periods for a cold because tests are not available. They’re going to dose them up and send them in. Surely someone in the government has enough intelligence to twig this.

All the crap in the guidance about schools needing to provide equivalent online provision to students isolating at home is just that. Not happening more often than not, and patchy to say the least. Major inconsistencies in what schools are doing / able to do. Huge unfairness across the board.

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

Given a negative result doesn’t mean you don’t have it and the rates of false positives are high, you wouldn’t actually know for sure anyway.

@Lemons1571

Ofqual and government ministers have stated that GCSE’s and A levels will go ahead in 2021. So no parent of a year 11 /13 are going to go along with them isolating for several chunks of 2 week periods for a cold because tests are not available. They’re going to dose them up and send them in. Surely someone in the government has enough intelligence to twig this.

All the crap in the guidance about schools needing to provide equivalent online provision to students isolating at home is just that. Not happening more often than not, and patchy to say the least. Major inconsistencies in what schools are doing / able to do. Huge unfairness across the board.

Not to mention the disparity between areas. Some year 11/13 will have periods of lots school closures (more likely deprived areas) and others with possibly none.

I know a woman who works for Track and Trace. She said that people are not answering the phone, they know the number and they ignore it.

@Shamrocksunshine

Leaving the thread now as I’ll end up repeating myself. I work in education (but not directly in a school).

I have tried to get tested.....
I will not be off work for every heavy cold I get, without access to tests. This is not acceptable....not in the real world.

I am MORE than happy to get tested as often as necessary, and isolate.

Redirect your frustrations at the piss poor testing capacity, and track and trace this country has.

Redirect your frustrations at the piss poor testing capacity, and track and trace this country has

No. My frustration and fury actually, is directed at you and people like you. There is no confusion. If you have the symptoms, you isolate. Personally I’d subject you to criminal proceedings for going into a school having not ruled out Covid.

What i find most depressing about this situation isnt people refusing to isolate if they have symptoms.

Its the fact the government haven't been honest that there is a massive problem with a shortage of tests and ability to test.

They made a big song and dance about getting capacity to 100,000 tests a day but today's press is saying we are struggling to turn around 60,000 tests a day and we are sending some to Italian and German labs (which if we end up with no deal wont be an option) to try and cope with the surge.

Then Johnson's response overnight is to say he will criminalise anyone who has symptoms for not isolating.

This effectively criminalises the very poorest first especially since they are least likely to have jobs they can do from home.

We are being told there is going to be a pilot to give money to help people who test positive to help them isolate but if you cant get a test you won't qualify for that. You are still stuck in limbo.

For track and trace to be successful, its crucial that tests are done quickly and turned around quickly. Isolating and spending days trying to get a test slows tracking a chain of infection, so its not just failing to isolate thats an issue.

People will only do things that are inconvenient to them if they are easy to do.

The government have failed to expand testing even to the 100,000 a day they promised even now. Never mind the numbers they probably need.

How can i call people selfish if the choice is between a roof over their head and food on the table or not isolating pending a test they might never be able to get hold of?

Only for them to maybe need to do the same again in 6 weeks time.

The whole situation is untenable.

The government know this.

There have been high ranking scientists stressing this with real concern.

Johnson 'solution' to criminalise is just another way to sow division and deflect blame from their own incompetence.

Instead im left wondering what the hell theyve done in the last six months because it looks like absolutely nothing at all. You have to wonder if its actually deliberate that that point.

It feels like Johnson has merely been 'shacked up in his tent' with Carrie and done fuck all else.

You can’t rule out Covid though. The tests aren’t always accurate so false positives occur and PHE say a negative test isn’t proof you don’t have it.

@MyPersona

I do not work directly in a school.

I’m on a temp contract, so if I don’t go in, my children will not be fed. I do however know that’s an alien concept on mumsnet.

If I had the ability to test and it came back positive, I would be paid.

It’s not too difficult to work out that feeding my own children is my biggest priority right now.

Absolutely agree RedToothBrush

“What i find most depressing about this situation isnt people refusing to isolate if they have symptoms.

Its the fact the government haven't been honest that there is a massive problem with a shortage of tests and ability to test.“

Indeed. shamrocksunshine has made the point forcefully.

I actually don’t blame you Shamrock.

There are severe direct consequences to loads of people (and their families) having to isolate for 2 weeks now because they can’t get a test.

There will be severe consequences to all of us in the form of massive rises in cases.

@FippertyGibbett

I know a woman who works for Track and Trace. She said that people are not answering the phone, they know the number and they ignore it.

This too is inevitable.

@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 hope you don't work at my school!

By the way shamrock, I turned up to a walk through ( which said it was appointment only) this week and because I had active symptoms they did test me.

Is this something you could try?

@Shamrocksunshine I agree with you though about where to direct the anger

If the government were straight with everyone about the situation then people without the three main symptoms would stop turning up at the test centres ( I would hope) and free up tests for people like Shamrock.

I’m feeling brighter today so I’ll be back at work (education) tomorrow.

I hope no-one you come into contact with has a family member who could die if they catch it.

I know people who've had coronavirus and, particularly early on, their symptoms did go up and down, disappear and come back.

The tests situation is shit but the rules are clear - if you have symptoms you should stay off until at least 10 days past the start of your symptoms if you do not have a negative test.

Reading this thread makes me think we're headed for a second lockdown. If people just go out and about when they've had the actual symptoms, add to that the asymptomatic cases and the fact that cases are already doubling every 7-8 days, looks like we're headed for exponential growth again.

@everythingthelighttouches

I am going to try as soon as my husband gets in. Gathered if I turned up, the worst thing that could happen is they turn me away.

Believe it or not, I have wanted to do the right thing. There are plenty of people out there who wouldn’t even go for a test because it would inconvenience them. I do not feel it is justified that so much anger is directed at people like myself who have tried repeatedly to get tested. Thank you to everybody else though that has supported my current circumstances.

Please think of people on temp and zero hour contracts.

Of course they will put their own finances first.

@FippertyGibbett

I know a woman who works for Track and Trace. She said that people are not answering the phone, they know the number and they ignore it.

Oh for goodness sake, what an absolute bollocks assumption she is making. Lots of people don't answer their phones for a multitude of reasons.

@IloveJKRowling - who is going to pay people’s bills whilst they are stuck at home trying to get a test or waiting for results if they were lucky enough to get a test in the first place?

It would almost certainly be cheaper to pay people's wages for the isolation period than it would be to enforce criminalisation. Policing, courts and prisons aren't cheap.

On our 2nd stint of self isolating and waiting for results. 1st time I managed to get a test same day and results the next so all fine, this time was a nightmare to even get a test and now on day 2 of waiting on results whilst missing work and children missing school.
Depending on symptoms next time I will likely not admit covid symptoms and not isolate if tests are how they are now.
I know its wrong but the reality it that I can't afford it.

shamrocksunshine good luck.

I’m with you on this, I don’t think you should be blamed. This is the government’s fault.

I understand the frustration, I was in exactly the same position as you a few days ago. So frustrated at not being able to get a test online and wasting so much time trying to get one.

My DD started with a cold on Friday, after being back at school for 1 week. As per usual the cold has triggered her asthma cough which started at 5.30 this morning.

3 hours of constantly refreshing the page to book a test, we've managed to get one - 50 miles away, at 7pm this evening. There is a test centre 3 miles from my house but no tests available 🙄

Oh for goodness sake, what an absolute bollocks assumption she is making. Lots of people don't answer their phones for a multitude of reasons.

And loads of people on here have said that they absolutely will not be answering their phone to the test and trace service. So not really a bollocks assumption.

I am fully expecting not to be able to get a test if we need one. We all got sick back in mid-March, no testing available back then unless you were in ICU, but we had a full deck of Covid-19 symptoms (well, everything but the loss of taste & smell) and we were ill for weeks and weeks. We will of course try to get tests if we need them, but if we can't we will just quarantine like you are supposed to. We WFH anyway and can cope. Not everyone can, I know that. A guy we know told us that his son had symptoms last week but he sent him into school anyway as he figured it was just a cold. He is a self-employed courier and I suppose he won't even get SSP if he can't work, and that's the problem.