‘Unfairness’ when whole family has to isolate?

[ChickenNotSoLittle]

I’m not sure what you all think. Is the following type of scenario is ‘unfair’ on the families of some essential workers?

Obviously some people work in a profession where there is a very, very clear and strict risk assessment relating to Covid due to the possibility of spreading the virus to vulnerable people. Or jobs with very high levels of accountability. I’m thinking of health care workers and those in schools who might have a particularly hard time passing off some symptoms as ‘just a cold’.

Would other posters agree that in these type of roles there might be an expectation of taking a test to rule out Covid rather than really thinking that they actually have Covid?

The partners and children of these workers (who have most likely just got a cold) therefore are more likely to be forced into unnecessarily isolating.

The DC might be at a critical time in their schooling and it could feel like they’re being punished for a parent having to do the right thing.

My sister was in this situation and her poor DS nearly missed the start of year 7 as a result. I’m in a similar role myself and am concerned this could happen to us as well.

Do you think that there could be some kind of system whereby the employee isolates In these borderline cases but the whole family does not have to, unless they have absolutely classic Covid symptoms.

I’m interested to hear your thoughts.

No, if anyone is presenting ‘the symptoms’ they and the family should isolate etc. What we need is a testing system that works, at pace, and so remove the possibility of a long, ultimately unnecessary, period of isolation for households.

I quite like the sound of some narrow lust!

It would make lockdowns (past and putative future) a lot more fun

If they sorted out testing....

On positive news they are trailing tests that can be turned around in 90 mins on 8 hospitals in London. Just heard it on the radio.

When I say, not the government obviously (who didnt take labs or unis up on thrir offers but centralised everything do they could give contracts to their mates)

We're another area looking at taking testing back locally.

A good source told me that the need to travel miles for a test is because Dido's team is taking centres off availability so the labs aren't even more overwhelmed. Our nearest centre keeps being made unavailable so it's not on the app but actually there are staff there ready.

Government is now looking to ban local testing

I know a number of people who had shielding relatives or a family member develop symptoms who lived away for weeks or in one case several months in order to be able to carry on working and isolate from risk or at risk people at home.

But surely if they move away after the family member develops symptoms then that’s too late? And they should be isolating too, according to current guidelines? I mean, even if they got a call while they’re still at work saying don’t come home tonight, little Johnny has a cough, they might’ve been exposed to the virus that morning at breakfast?

Eww, I heard that too. Many test centres are virtually empty but staffed - it’s the lab capacity that’s causing the issues with test availability. Slots are being rationed accordingly.

This is about risk, not about fairness. None of this is fair.
It would help if
a) the testing system was functioning
b) people would follow the letter and spirit of the rules

No exceptions should be made or then you start with, well I’m a key worker to I think we should be able to do the same

If you have symptoms then everyone isolates until Covid is ruled out, whoever you are

I am a nurse. I have access to testing for me and my household if symptomatic at work, so that I don't have to wait for days and days to get a test and then longer for results. This isn't for the convenience of my DC who might otherwise miss out on stuff though, it's for work who would otherwise be missing lots of staff while they waited to access testing. The hospital can't afford to have loads of staff off for 2 weeks because they or their child have a cough but can't get a test. It might not be fair that I have access to this and other people have to rely on the shambolic government test system, but that is how it is in order to keep the hospital running.

@ChickenNotSoLittle

I know a number of people who had shielding relatives or a family member develop symptoms who lived away for weeks or in one case several months in order to be able to carry on working and isolate from risk or at risk people at home.

But surely if they move away after the family member develops symptoms then that’s too late? And they should be isolating too, according to current guidelines? I mean, even if they got a call while they’re still at work saying don’t come home tonight, little Johnny has a cough, they might’ve been exposed to the virus that morning at breakfast?

The hospital where I work has said that, if it is within 24hrs of a family member developing symptoms, there is the option of us being put up in a hotel for 2 weeks if we wish instead of having to isolate at home. I don't know what the science behind that 24hr is though.

What's the alternative ? My year nine son managed a week back in school before someone in his bubble tested positive,he was supposed to be off untill the 24th of this month,I was informed yesterday he has to stay off untill the the 29th ,he's pissed off , I'm pissed off ,but we are in Bolton,cases are rising fast and now hospital admission,s

The trouble with a virus is, fairness doesn't come into it.

Ds is ill on and off throughout the Winter months, due to his genetic condition - he always spikes a temperature, he always gets chest problems. We are just coming out of a week of isolation (ill ladt Sunday, negative test results this morning). If we follow the pattern of the last few years, he will almost certainly be ill again within the next 2 weeks. For his older sisters (13 and 14) it is really not fair that they will potentially miss weeks and weeks of school, and that dh will lose £££ of wages...and it isn't fair that we can't take ds out of school without the threat of fines or being told to deregister.
@BeingATwatItsABingThing
Schools should now be offering home learning that is the equivalent of what they would have received at school.
My school is having children join their lessons via Teams when it is just them isolating

We aren't getting this from dds school!! Dd2 has hardly had anything this week, dd1 has fared slightly better, but certainly not much!

Bupkis, that sound just awful. Surely there should be priority testing for people like your DS. I wonder if the new 90 minute tests might be something he could access in future.

I think the rules are complicated enough. It is what it is and you'll just have to get on with

@Bupkis

I would definitely raise the lack of work as an issue.

This is what the guidance stated about remote learning after the September return:

Remote education
Where needed, this is high-quality and safe, and aligns as closely as possible with in-school provision. Schools and other settings continue to build their capability to educate pupils remotely, where this is needed.

On day 1 of my bubble’s closure, we set work from the Oak Academy to allow us to have time to adapt and prepare our online lessons for day 2. From then on, the children have had recorded English, Maths and Reading every day and a Science and Topic lesson for each week. This is the same as they would have received at school. Work is then emailed to the teacher and responded to. The expectation is that they engage with this (unless ill) and, if they don’t, we call them and find out why. If they still won’t engage, senior leadership will call them.

It’s not actually true that NHS staff get priority testing. We have to apply through the same system as everyone else and there are no tests. Some hospital trusts were testing their own staff, the government have now told them to stop doing this. If testing capacity doesn’t increase you’re going to have a very understaffed and dangerous NHS soon.

@Catchingbabies it’s true in my area. Dp phoned work, I got a test the next day. We tried online before they got back to us and it was literally impossible to click the link for a test. We had tests at a drive through station in the hospital grounds, rather than at the main test centre. That was Tuesday this week. Has this stopped now?

I’m sorry that there’s no priority testing where you are.

@Notverybright Is that because your trust has a test centre set up anyway? My trust isn’t a test centre and we had to apply through the gov website, eventually got a test miles away on Tuesday and we are still waiting for results now.

It said staff testing on the signs? That’s all I know.

I had heard that our city had put most of it’s provisions into testing since very early on in the pandemic, we’re suffering from the shortage as everywhere else it seems now though.

@ChickenNotSoLittle
Do you think that there could be some kind of system whereby the employee isolates In these borderline cases but the whole family does not have to, unless they have absolutely classic Covid symptoms.
Absolutely not!