Notified by Covid app I've had contact, occupational health day I must come to work....

[Whattodonow38]

Name changed.

Got a recent notification through the Covid app that I've had contact with a positve case of Covid and I need to isolate.

Colleague has recently tested positive and so I assume its on the back of her diagnosis, and if it is I'm not concerned as we were wearing PPE at all times we were in contact, however I cant be sure it is it could be from anywhere! Work (NHS!!!!) are saying I need to attend work as normal. I have patient contact with elderly people and medically vulnerable children. What the hell? Is it any wonder this virus is out of control. Is this normal?!

I’m nhs staff and we have to turn off app tracking when at work for this reason. At work we are low risk because we use PPE and follow covid safe guidelines. It means that if we get asked to isolate we know that it wasn’t work related and therefore are likely not to have been following guidelines.

I’m very surprised that you haven’t been given the same advice by work?

That cannot be right. I would check.

I'm NHS staff and we've been told to switch off contact tracing on the app for this reason, they can't survive if all the staff start isolating. Their stance is you should be wearing PPE anyway so it's not an issue

Weirdly, I got a notification from the app earlier but can’t find it anywhere... no idea if it said I’d been in contact with someone or not! Not very helpful!

Yes @Busygoingblah we got the same advice just this week which I've heeded, however the contact was prior to this. Check with who @neveradullmoment99? Sounds so wrong to me.

Yes triceratops I understand that, but what if my contact was with someone whilst not at work? Theres no way of knowing as the app is confidential

polar
I had the same. Still puzzled about what I was meant to do

If you google it then it is a known glitch at the moment.

@PolarBearStrength

Weirdly, I got a notification from the app earlier but can’t find it anywhere... no idea if it said I’d been in contact with someone or not! Not very helpful!

The above message was for this. Notification pops up but then disappears. Nothing in app. Glitch.

There is a known app problem with dissapearing false positve messages

I think you should go to work. Your trust has taken a reasonable position on this. And now turn off app at work.

I will go to work and Ive had the app off since we were advised to. I think it's wrong though, if my contact is from elsewhere I could be incubating covid. On their heads be it.

nhs staff have clearly been instructed no to use the app due to wearing ppe.

Yes mama i know, we were clearly instructed only this week past if you read my post. My contact was prior to this instruction.

Why I'm not using the app; too many glitches and uncertainties in it. And there's no way I'm isolating if the only place I go and take precautions when I do so is a huge supermarket ... 'contact' doesn't mean I was anywhere near a random for more than a few seconds while I zip around shopping in a mask.

I think work are wrong.

Unless you told them you thought it could from your colleague and you were wearing ppe.

How could you possibly know though, unless you’ve not been anywhere else except work?

ithink that’s not how the app works. It wouldn’t advise you to isolate unless you’d been closer than 2m to somebody for a prolonged period of time. You won’t get told to isolate because a person you walked past in the supermarket tested positive. People need to stop undermining confidence in the app when they don’t understand how it works. It’s an important tool in containing the spread and keeping more severe restrictions at bay this winter.

I would get in it writing from your employer that even though you don't know if the contact was during work or outside work time, they are insisting you ignore the self isolation advice and come into work.

Totally agree with stella. Get it in writing and then, as you say, on their heads be it.

I think it’s wrong too op.
I’m nhs and been told if one of the team test positive we just carry on. We don’t wear PPE to eat in the lunch room and half the team are posting pics of dinner out with friends on FB and not even socially distancing!

OP

What were Occ healths reasons for saying come into work?

It's really hard isnt it. I work for the NHS only admin and I'm really not sure how it all works but we have to have it turned off and if you have all had yours turned off then how would the app know your colleague had contact with you? So could it be from somewhere else ?

@LadyFannyButton

I’m the same (nhs). Our lunchtimes are the worst. Limited space, no ppe, no staggered lunches allowed. You make space for yourself (2m) apart and someone comes and sits in between. I have emailed upper management to complain about this, have also asked to be able to work through lunch as don’t feel safe- but nothing done about it.

I wonder what school staff rooms are like?

@Letsgetgoing123 many schools have told staff that they can't use staff rooms.

We can, but due to staggered timetables you never see another soul in there when its your break!

I guess if you’ve had app outside of work too you should follow instructions but I know occ health reluctant to have staff off without symptoms.