Childminder has Covid

[fia101]

Children go there everyday. She only looks after my kids. Me and my husband go into her house to pick kids up and drop off etc.

She tested positive today.

Do we all need to self isolate or just the kids or no one please? No symptoms in house.

This is such a tricky one!

Officially, neither you nor your DC need to isolate unless asked to by Track and Trace. From the www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/when-to-self-isolate-and-what-to-do/ NHS webpage on when to self isolate:

If you think you've been in contact with someone who has coronavirus, but you do not have symptoms and have not been told to self-isolate, continue to follow social distancing advice

I also believe, although am not 100% certain, that the new app does not notify people in close contact before the appearance of symptoms.

So if she declared that her symptoms started on the Saturday, your DC may not be asked to isolate at all.

However, I would imagine that the sort of close contact a childminder has with a child makes transmission of the virus quite likely, so I would be inclined to, as a minimum, isolate your DC, and the rest of you WFH where possible. If not possible to WFH I’d be watching DC like a hawk for symptoms and taking every social distancing precaution possible in your daily lives.

Bear in mind that being contacted by test and trace may take time, given that the numbers are rising and they may well be swamped. Also, it relies on the case giving the information to test and trace for them to contact you.

If you know that you are a contact, you don't need to wait until test and trace contact you. Anyone who had direct contact with the childminder in the 48 hours before her symptoms started need to self isolate for 14 days. Anyone who did not have direct contact does not need to self isolate (even if you live together). If anyone in your household goes onto develop symptoms, they need to get a test, isolate for 10 days (or until a test is negative) and then the entire household needs to isolate for a further 14 days from when that person's symptoms started.

@TheSockMonster

It’s worrying isn’t it that “officially” you don’t need to isolate until told to, but test and trace sound like in some cases they take 5 days! That’s a whole week of someone who has been in close contact, potentially infected but asymptomatic, going to school/work etc.

It’s really difficult for employees and employers, do you go with the official guidelines and tell someone to go to work, or the moral, of letting them isolate! As an employee, where do you stand if you know you’ve been in contact, but haven’t been officially told, can they force you to work?

On the flip side, how do you stop people saying this all the time!

I think the childminder really should pass dc to you on the doorstep, and then you wouldn’t be in this dilemma. But it does sound like you should all isolate if you’ve been in close contact for more than 15 mins in the 2 days before symptoms.

Based on the information you’ve shared both the children and who ever collected / dropped off the children on Thursday and Friday (48 hours before she became symptomatic) need to self isolate. Technically it’s not official until track and trace contact you but please be responsible and start isolating now to prevent potential further spread, as you know that you’re contacts. The track and trace system isn’t working efficiently. I hope you all stay well and she makes a speedy recovery. She really needs to not be letting parents into the house as this increases the number of close contacts and therefore risk to her family and the families she’s caring for. A parent could be infectious before their child is infectious, it’s not just a case of everyone living together and therefore contact with parents not being an issue because there is already close contact with the children.

Thanks everyone it's much appreciated and I've taken your advice.

We have the track and trace app and have had it for a month or so now (NI) but no notification - in fact no notification ever received despite numbers high in my area (local lockdown restrictions in place).

Thanks again

@Chestergirl39 it is incredibly worrying. I think people do want to do the right thing, but I think some will be given a really hard time by employers. For some people, the choice to isolate just in case will cost them their pay packet

@Chestergirl39

How long do test and trace take to contact potential close contacts? You’d think it’d have to be quite quickly, otherwise it’s pointless.

You'd really think so but like everyting else it is a shit show at the moment

@AliciaWhiskers

Bear in mind that being contacted by test and trace may take time, given that the numbers are rising and they may well be swamped. Also, it relies on the case giving the information to test and trace for them to contact you.

If you know that you are a contact, you don't need to wait until test and trace contact you. Anyone who had direct contact with the childminder in the 48 hours before her symptoms started need to self isolate for 14 days. Anyone who did not have direct contact does not need to self isolate (even if you live together). If anyone in your household goes onto develop symptoms, they need to get a test, isolate for 10 days (or until a test is negative) and then the entire household needs to isolate for a further 14 days from when that person's symptoms started.

^ this.

Come on people (not you OP) do what you know us right, you don't need to wait for T&T to tell you to isolate when you KNOW you've been in contact with someone testing positive!

@fia101. I hope your CM is feeling better soon & hasn't passed it on to your family

I think the common sense approach would be to all self isolate.

Was there no alternative to going into the childminder's house for pick up and drop offs? The advice is that no one other than the children should enter the property. Your childminder should have been doing outdoor, socially distanced hand overs. If you absolutely had to enter the property you and the childminder should have worn masks.

However, what is already done can't be undone, so it's a bit too late to protect yourselves better now. I hope you are all ok and that your childminder recovers quickly.