Contact with Covid positive person - confusion

[MooChops89]

This doesn't immediately affect me but it's causing a lot of confusion among our friend group and I wondered if anyone could shed some light.

A friend of ours was out last weekend with someone who has since tested positive for Coronavirus (test was taken 2 days after they were out together).
We told our friend he should self isolate for 14 days.
Our friend has since had a test himself - no symptoms but was "feeling anxious" so of course it came back negative.
He is now under the impression he can stop isolating and go back to work. We argue that he has to continue isolating for the 14 days because the point is that he can develop symptoms at any time during that period and could spread it unknowingly before becoming ill.
However, when I've just looked on the gov website it says you only need to isolate if you've been contacted by Track & Trace. But he knows he was in contact with this person who tested positive! But the gov says carry on unless you're contacted!

That can't be right can it? I'm sure I've read of people who were never contacted even though they knew they'd been around someone positive. No wonder it's spreading again!

My understanding is as he has been in direct contact ( less than 1m for 1 minute) he needs to stay off work for 14 days regardless of the negative test.

How much money did he waste on that test that didn't even give him instructions on what to do with the results?

That was mine too, but this from the Gov.uk website suggests not!

Dumplings he didn't get it privately, that's another story. We've all told him it was a waste of a test, don't worry. The text he got said the same, that he can carry on as normal unless he develops symptoms etc but of course you can't give "contact with a known positive person" as a reason for requesting the test can you so I feel like the advice with the result doesn't apply

Yes he needs to isolate. It’s not an official instruction until he’s contacted by track and trace but never the less he needs to isolate. My husband’s colleague was in a similar situation earlier this week. It took about 24 hours from knowing her friend had tested positive to hearing from track and trace that they needed to self isolate. Fortunately they had the common sense to self isolate right away. The 111 site tells you who counts as a close contact, if he fits the criteria he needs to isolate for 14 days as he could come down with it at anytime within 14 days of contact. His negative test means he doesn’t have an active infection but he could still be incubating it.

Has the covid positive person co-operated with test and trace? If they haven't given the correct details to them of where they've been and who with then they won't be able to call and let people know whether to isolate.
Technically your friend should isolate for 14 days but going on that screenshot they don't need to unless contacted.
My employer wouldn't be satisfied with me saying I need to isolate off of my own back (unless it was due to symptoms) I would need it to come from test and trace and I think lots of people will be in that situation

That’s odd advice though isn’t it? Because if you don’t have the app you’ll never be contacted? So don’t download the app and you don’t need to isolate unless you get symptoms? That’s going to be a fairly appealing reason not to download the app surely?

Test and Trace isn't the app, it's when someone who has tested positive is phoned and asked who they have bene in close contact with. The Test and Trace people then phone those people and tell them they need to self isolate.

My advice above is based on being in a meeting with school staff and PHE. PHE repeated to staff more than once that they must not return even with a negative test. The school will shut for the 14 days.

Well if that’s the case @RichardMarxisinnocent it would appear not to be working very well in this instance.

My DSis was at a garden gathering last weekend with someone who tested Covid+ a couple of days later. She works in a primary school but T&T haven't been on touch, so she's expected to go in

Track and trace have only asked for the friends' whereabouts a for three days before she actually took the test, which was a few days before the gathering , and haven't asked for any contact details (the friend has weekly tests through work).

This is clearly absolutely shit and a massive failure.

@SaltyAndFresh

My DSis was at a garden gathering last weekend with someone who tested Covid+ a couple of days later. She works in a primary school but T&T haven't been on touch, so she's expected to go in

Track and trace have only asked for the friends' whereabouts a for three days before she actually took the test, which was a few days before the gathering , and haven't asked for any contact details (the friend has weekly tests through work).

This is clearly absolutely shit and a massive failure.

If she was socially distanced from the person at the garden gathering (which she should have been unless they are from her household) then she wouldn't count as a close contact would she? So Test and Trace wouldn't need to contact her. The same would apply to the person in the OP - unless they have been closer than 2m for more than 15 minutes they don't count as a close contact.

unless they have been closer than 2m for more than 15 minutes they don't count as a close contact.

And this is based upon the patients memory and mental measuring skills?

@Smellbellina

unless they have been closer than 2m for more than 15 minutes they don't count as a close contact.

And this is based upon the patients memory and mental measuring skills?

Presumably. They only need info about a few days though I believe, so the positive person doesn't need to remember 3 weeks worth of interactions. Hopefully they would recall that yesterday they spent 2 hours in their mum's lounge but sat on separate sofas at opposite ends of the room because mum insisted on SD. And that two days ago they went to dinner with a friend and sat opposite each other at a small table which definitely wasn't 2m wide. Social distancing when meeting friends and family is such an unnatural thing for most people that you would know whether you had done it or not.

The app covers scenarios where you might have been close to someone you don't know (perhaps on a bus or train)

Track and trace are taking up to five days to contact people. They are also asking those they do contact, to get in touch with their prior contacts themselves, saying that they don’t have the time/resources to do it.

Your friend needs to carry on isolating.

the trace poeple will only identify you as a close contact in specific circumstances, and it is only if you meet these criteria thatyou need to isolate. So basically, if you spend more than 15 minutes within less than 2M of a person without PPE, and within the 48hours prior to a person developing symptoms, (or testing positive if asymptomatic) It is possible your friend doesn't meet these criteria and doesnt therefor class as a close contact and so doesnt need to isolate.
The negative test as has been said is a red herring and was unnecessary!

@RichardMarxisinnocent you really are making a very gallant attempt at making this all sound like a terribly good system that really works quite well, for effort.

T&T is failing and taking far too long to contact people, if they manage it at all. It’s also only reliant on people (who are likely feeling unwell) recalling recent meetings accurately. So, yes unless he’s contacted by T&T he hasn’t had an official instruction to isolate and can ‘get away with it’. He does know the information though and so is being irresponsible not isolating for the 14 days, his negative test means nothing.

Basically he shouldn't have had a test. You're only supposed to have a test if you have symptoms and he didn't. If you're in contact with someone you're supposed to isolate for 14 days, but not get a test unless you have symptoms. If you develop symptoms and have a test, that's when things get really complicated because technically symptoms+negative test=end isolation but at the same time he'd still be stuck in the 14 day post-exposure period so regardless he'd still have to isolate.

Essentially if you're a known contact, the simplest thing to do (if you're following the rules) is to isolate for 14 days regardless of any symptoms or testing. That's a hard rule for a lot of people to follow though.

The test and trace system is a complete waste of time - their role is not relevant.

We have a child with Covid. Track and trace haven’t even been in touch. He should isolate for 14 days.

I’m just impressed with all these people managing to get tested and results within 5 days!

@PinkkLady

Track and trace are taking up to five days to contact people. They are also asking those they do contact, to get in touch with their prior contacts themselves, saying that they don’t have the time/resources to do it.

Your friend needs to carry on isolating.

And yet for employment purposes, you're expected to get back to work unless you've officially been contacted.

That’s a waste of a test! Track and Trace don’t necessarily contact everyone they should (not always their fault either) and yes, he should isolate.

This is the thing, he believes that because his result text said he doesn't need to self isolate unless he is contacted that he's fine not to. He isn't working at the moment anyway so doesn't need proof for his employers. Just seems odd that it wouldn't be made clear on the Gov website that you should isolate if you know you've been in contact with someone, as if Test and Trace is a solid, infallible system!