Isolating as a contact - how to do school run?

[Lemons1571]

If I was a contact and told to isolate by T&T, how would we do the school run? No friends or family to do it, and no other parents from our school are in our area to ‘share’. My choices seem to be:

I can’t do the school run because I’m not allowed to leave the house. Keep DS off and get fined for non attendance.

I do the school run, do not leave the car at any point, drop DS on the kerb outside the school. Hope this would not result in a fine. Or get fined for breaking isolation. Maybe it would be the bit in the guidance where it says they recognise not all measures can be followed if you have children.

DH do the school run, but he’s a key worker (education) so he doesn’t have annual leave, and has to be at work 8.30-3 and this is not flexible. Or would he have to force his employer to allow him to do this? Lose pay?

Or am I damned whatever I do, and should just pick the option with the smallest fine?

Anyone else been in this situation? It’s putting me off going anywhere or seeing anyone!

I would be very pissed off at someone breaking the rules to drive their child to school (close contact in a confined space and what happens if you have an accident or break down?) rather than get their partner to ask at work for some flexibility. I assume he is a teacher. Since there is no choice, his work can cover part of his first lesson during this exceptional time. They may have to cover 14 days if he ends up isolating too! (Hope he doesn't though)

Sharing a car isn’t isolating from your family, you can’t do that

Are you isolating in a separate room in the house?

just curious to learn what you end up doing, OP.

afaik, OP is not a confirmed case so the whole family does not have to isolate from OP or world, unless OP becomes symptomatic.

We had this issue. I dropped at the school and one of the Mums from my child's bubble walked him in and walked him back to me after school.

Lol at all the pp thinking people live in huge houses with separate wings 🤣 Only on mumsnet

Isolating for contact and isolating for symptoms are very different things and have different rules.

I don’t have to make the decision now but the legal requirement will affect how much I go out and scan qr codes etc.

Dropping at school is not a problem if i would be ok to drive and pull up near the school. He could hop out and walk the last bit. I wouldn’t need to leave the car. But if I literally can’t leave the house or share a car then it’s an issue.

I suppose it’s how literal we’re supposed to read the laws. I actually couldn’t put my wheelie bin out as I’d have to cross around 10ft of council verge to do it.

Surely it's got to be practical. What about those people who live in bed sits? Or share a room with their children?

We're having to isolate our DS as there has been a Covid case in his bubble at school. The advice is clear that the rest of family carry on as usual, my oldest goes to school , me and OH carry on our usual work etc. There has been no advice about him being in a separate room from us otherwise we all isolate. So that's exactly what we are doing. He doesn't leave house, we carry on normality around him.
Sorry, that doesn't answer OP question. I would drive and drop at kerbside if he's old enough to do that.

You need to isolate from the family, 2m away, separated sleeping etc etc. Otherwise he needs to isolate too. It's in the guidance and they'll tell you this when contacted by T&T

I’m very confused with the rules atm. But surely if you keep your child off school for this it is reasonable and they can’t fine you for it! I’d maybe ring school and ask for advice.

You only need to limit contact with people you live with if possible. No where does it say if its not possible they have to isolate too. Christ people love making things complicated 🙄

The OP doesn't have symptoms as far as i understand it, so surely she just has to stay at home? It's only if she were to test positive that all the "avoid your family" stuff comes into play. So a car share is fine.

A car share isn't fine if you aren't allowed to leave the house!

I think the separate sleeping/bathrooms/isolating apart in same house was guidance from early on when someone in the household had symptoms.

Surely if T&T contact you you're isolating as a precaution in case you then go on to develop symptoms.

I had this last week and the first day I had to do the school run as OH starts work a few hours before. His work then sent him home to work so he did it the rest of the week. I heard on the news that you were only at risk of a fine if you tested positive and didn’t isolate.

Oh ffs, the guidance for England says

If you have symptoms "try and stay as far away from other members of your household as possible. It is especially important to stay away from anyone who is clinically vulnerable or clinically extremely vulnerable with whom you share a household."

That is advice only If you have symptoms, You are not asked to stay away from bubble-member contact if no symptoms. You may wish to stay away, but it is not expected behaviour.

And here

"try to avoid contact with anyone you live with as much as possible"

but it's discretion how much is possible in each individual situation. OP has caring duties (like many). Face covers are something to consider not required, etc.

There are different rules for if you have symptoms and if you are isolating as a result of a contact but are symptomless. That seems both clear and reasonable to me, as many people asked to isolate on basis of a contact will not become infectious whereas those with symptoms almost certainly are - so more care needs to be taken? It is already a big ask for people without symptoms to stay in for 14 days.

You say no-one from the school lives near you, but do any of them live near the school? Your husband could drop your children round at one of their houses and they could deliver them to school for you.

@BluebellsGreenbells

IF you can’t self isolate in a SEPARATE room then the whole family need to isolate.

It’s not a choice.

Isolate if you can, otherwise it’s everyone.

@BluebellsGreenbells if you believe this to be the case, perhaps you'd like to share the section of the government guidance that says this. I certainly have not read this and would not be isolating from my 6 year old if her school bubble closes.

But you’re not isolating if you’re getting in a car with your son?

@Nellodee

You say no-one from the school lives near you, but do any of them live near the school? Your husband could drop your children round at one of their houses and they could deliver them to school for you.

I am usually a good neighbour and friend but I would not want a child with possible Covid in my house at the moment.

Yes i agree, think it would be asking a lot of someone if you said,there's a chance i could have it, can i drop my kid with you?

If OP is only in the car with her son and doesn't get out I don't see the problem. Different if she develops symptoms.

Fascinating- and worrying - to see how differently people interpret the rules!