Notified about neighbours' positive test?

[MrsRexVandeKamp]

My mum (late 60s) is in a panic as she overheard her next door neighbour talking on the phone to someone, saying he was going to have a test. Some time later, a mobile testing van came to the neighbours' house, and did a test in the garden. My mum could hear all the conversation and yes, they were being tested for covid and would get the results soon.

Now - leaving aside the nosey-ness of my mum in earwigging all of this .... if this neighbour is positive, will mum get notified? She's got the tracing app, but aside from living next door, she doesn't really have much interaction with them, hasn't been close to them at all.

She's panicking, and I want to reassure her but not sure what to say. Even if he has got covid, it still shouldn't really affect her anyway as like I said, she's not getting close to them.

Any experience or advice??

No, she won't 'be informed' she's not a close contact.

She's also not at any risk unless she goes around and starts licking him 🤣

Just tell her to avoid contact (no chatting over the fence) but she could call him or drop a note to say she saw the testing van & give him her number (if he doesn't have it) just in case he gets a positive result & needs anything.

I would expect that she wouid be notified only if she has been a close enough contact. Does she spend much time with them anywhere or any time inside their house in the last few days?

My DM had someone come to the house (garden) to give her a test as she was going into the hospital for an operation.
People are doing tests for research purposes.
It might not by symptoms.
PlUs isn't something like 20% chance getting it from someone you live with... Highly unlikely to get it from a neighbour.

A testing van came to their house?! Which country is this in?

[She's also not at any risk unless she goes around and starts licking him 🤣]

haha, might just use this line with her!!! I've told her she's not at risk, doesn't have contact etc so she's fine but she's on her own, mildly bored and can worry about worrying!

thanks all :)

I saw my neighbour's adult ds come home and he seems to be incarcerated in the spare room (nosey, moi?) coughing loudly. I must admit I avoid hanging around outside!

Maybe she's having an affair with him

Tell her to calm down. She’s not a close contact.

My mum’s neighbour was hospitalised for six weeks In March/April with Covid. My parents had been leaving her food in her porch (cooked dinners) in the run up to her hospitalisation and didn’t catch it - despite both also shielding.

Fortunately neighbour is fine now. My mum, the neighbour and another neighbour spent most of the summer sitting together in a paddling pool watching baby squirrels and drinking wine.

And as others have said, it might be a planned test ahead of a routine appointment rather then because neighbour is symptomatic.

Pretty sure you can calm your mum down by reminding her that the virus can't travel through walls!