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Original poster

In contact with someone, how long ago?

26 replies

Nogodsnomasters · 25/09/2020 10:16

Ok so my niece works in care in the community and one of her patients has tested positive earlier this week, on Wednesday she developed a sore throat and mild temp herself, no cough, no loss of taste/smell, of course she has informed work and is booked for a test later today. She should get the results tomorrow. IF she's positive do I need to take a test if I was with her 8 days ago?

I know the incubation period can be up to 14 days but according to the internet infected people are not contagious until 3 days prior to their first symptoms which would mean she was contagious from Sunday and I saw her the Thursday before that. I need to know for work purposes and self isolation purposes for my son as he was also there when we met up. I have no symptoms (other than anxiety related ones 🙄)

OP posts:
PrivateD00r · 25/09/2020 10:19

No. You do not take a test unless YOU have symptoms of CV. Please try not to be anxious, she will have been taking precautions I am sure and so should be at low risk. Honestly, everyone I know has had the cold lately, don't assume the worst.

AliciaWhiskers · 25/09/2020 10:20

No, they trace back people she had contact with 48 hours before symptoms started.

AliciaWhiskers · 25/09/2020 10:21

If indeed she is positive.

Original poster
Nogodsnomasters · 25/09/2020 11:21

She wears full PPE whilst with patients but of course that is not 100% effective or no nurses, paramedics, doctors would ever catch it.

So track and trace is only for 48hrs prior to symptoms beginning? That is great to know thank you. Very reassuring. When you hear the whole 14 incubation thing you just think oh crap I was with such n such in the last 14 days, we ate together and shopped together with both our children.

OP posts:
Northernsoullover · 25/09/2020 11:23

Can I urge people not to take tests just because they have met someone who tested positive? Its a complete waste of a test. You still need to isolate. In your case though PP is correct. Its 48 before the symptom onset.

Original poster
Nogodsnomasters · 25/09/2020 11:26

My work will not allow me to isolate for 14 days if I don't have symptoms, I would not be paid a penny! I'd rather take the test and prove I can safely return to work. Also my sons school has a child who is recovering from cancer so we've all been warned by the principal about all kinds of illnesses that could compromise this child so I'd rather my son not lose 2 weeks of education when they're already behind due to lockdown.

OP posts:
Chestergirl39 · 25/09/2020 14:15

@Nogodsnomasters

If you get symptoms, you can get a test and if negative, go back to work.

If you’ve been told or know you’ve been in contact with a positive case you have to isolate for 2 weeks. No point getting a test because it won’t mean you can go back any earlier. I’m hoping the government crackdown on this a bit more to stop the spread.

Mindymomo · 25/09/2020 14:30

Whether or not you have symptoms, if you have been in contact with somebody that has tested positive you have to self isolate for 14 days. Your employers should know the rules by now, it’s not up to them to allow you to be off work.

LangClegsInSpace · 25/09/2020 14:31

New regs are coming in on the 28th - employers will face hefty penalties if they require people to come into work when they have been told to self isolate.

Also my sons school has a child who is recovering from cancer so we've all been warned by the principal about all kinds of illnesses that could compromise this child so I'd rather my son not lose 2 weeks of education when they're already behind due to lockdown.

Wow Shock

Chestergirl39 · 25/09/2020 14:36

“Also my sons school has a child who is recovering from cancer so we've all been warned by the principal about all kinds of illnesses that could compromise this child so I'd rather my son not lose 2 weeks of education when they're already behind due to lockdown.”

Don’t really understand this? Does this mean you have to keep your son off with a cold? Obviously you’d keep him off with covid symptoms or tummy bug etc anyway.

Original poster
Nogodsnomasters · 26/09/2020 07:58

No not a cold, we were warned about flu, covid, chicken pox, Scarlett fever, tonsillitis, those kind of things in terms of this child's health.

OP posts:
Tilly28 · 26/09/2020 08:04

@Nogodsnomasters

If you are told to isolate as you've been in contact with someone you have to isolate!!! You can't just get a test and prove you're negative as it doesn't work like that! You have to isolate for the full 14 day incubation period even if you don't have any symptoms. Work have to let you and school have to provide work from home. It's not a choice! I am amazed at how many people still don't understand the rules!

The only time you get a test is if you have symptoms! If the test is negative it means you don't have it (at that time).

Lemons1571 · 26/09/2020 08:07

Taking the test will not prove you can safely return to work. A test when you don’t have any symptoms is useless.

That’s the point of the 14 days, to wait it out in case you are harbouring the illness (a test won’t pick that up in the early stages).

Stinkyguineapig · 26/09/2020 08:17

I understood it you would have to isolate for 14 days since you last saw the infected person. So if you saw her 8 days ago you would have to isolate for 6 days.

Stinkyguineapig · 26/09/2020 08:18

I saw a dr explain this on tv several months ago so I dont know if it has changed?

StraffeHendrik · 26/09/2020 08:51

People are missing the point here. You don't have to self isolate just because anyone you ever met tested positive! Obviously there is a time window before symptoms during which close contacts are considered to have been exposed. That's 2-3 days so OP should be fine but if her niece tests positive, the contact tracers can confirm.

LemonTT · 26/09/2020 08:58

@Nogodsnomasters

My work will not allow me to isolate for 14 days if I don't have symptoms, I would not be paid a penny! I'd rather take the test and prove I can safely return to work. Also my sons school has a child who is recovering from cancer so we've all been warned by the principal about all kinds of illnesses that could compromise this child so I'd rather my son not lose 2 weeks of education when they're already behind due to lockdown.
If your niece tests positive you and your child need to isolate for 14 days from the last point of contact. A negative test won’t make any difference to that from a legal perspective. That applies to your employers responsibility to other staff, the school and your liability for a fine.

If you are worried about isolation then protect yourself and reduce unnecessary social contact, outside work and school.

I don’t understand why you haven’t looked up the government guidance. It’s clear about this.

hahoohayou · 26/09/2020 09:33

You would only need to isolate in the following circumstances....

  1. Your niece tests positive
  2. You had close contact (within 2 meters for 15 minutes, or within 1 meter for 1 minute) 48 before the oneset of her symptoms OR within 10 days of her being symptomatic.

This is form the gov website!!

hahoohayou · 26/09/2020 09:35

Sorry maybe that didn’t sound very clear.
10 days being that you’re most infectious days 1-10 of being symptomatic.
Plus 48 hours before the onset of symptoms.

Original poster
Nogodsnomasters · 26/09/2020 21:04

If it's 10 days before symptoms onset then why are track and trace only informing people who've been in close contact 48hrs before onset of symptoms? That's contradictory.

Tilly - calm down. I'm not refusing to isolate if it was absolutely needed, I did it at the start of march before lockdown because my son had a cough (it was a cold in the end) but I know for a fact that my company would not allow me to isolate if I didn't have any symptoms and no-one in my household had any symptoms (and it's not just my company, I also know of others, a friend's son who is doing a-levels was sent home from school for 2 weeks as someone in his bubble tested positive, he told his boss at his part time job of this and was told no symptoms? No-one in your home with symptoms? You come to work)

For what it's worth thankfully my niece's result came back negative today so she has a bad cold or a flu or something then.

OP posts:
Original poster
Nogodsnomasters · 26/09/2020 21:07

Sorry hahooyahoo I mis-read your comment about the 10 days.

OP posts:
Motorina · 26/09/2020 21:28

a friend's son who is doing a-levels was sent home from school for 2 weeks as someone in his bubble tested positive, he told his boss at his part time job of this and was told no symptoms? No-one in your home with symptoms? You come to work

Yes. This is correct. The son is a contact of someone positive, so has to isolate. Your friend is a contact of a contact, and does not.

She would only have to isolate if the son developed symptoms or himself tested positive, when she would become a direct contact of his.

The reason that parents are staying off work if their fit and well child is sent home is to provide childcare. Its not because the parent needs to isolate too. One assumes that that wouldn't be necessary for most A-level students.

PaperMonster · 27/09/2020 07:52

@Stinkyguineapig

I saw a dr explain this on tv several months ago so I dont know if it has changed?
No it’s not changed, I had to self isolate very recently for seven days as a week had already passed since I’d been in contact with the Covid person.
Original poster
Nogodsnomasters · 27/09/2020 09:01

No the son had to work not my friend, her son who had been sent home from school because of a positive case in his year group was told he must attend his part time job because neither he nor anyone in his household hand symptoms.

OP posts:
hahoohayou · 27/09/2020 12:23

@Nogodsnomasters

If it's 10 days before symptoms onset then why are track and trace only informing people who've been in close contact 48hrs before onset of symptoms? That's contradictory.

It’s not 10 days before symptoms.

It’s 48 hours before symptoms develop OR days 1-10 of when the infected persons is symptomatic.

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