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Original poster

App has told me to self-isolate - but haven't been anywhere?

116 replies

Covidaquestion · 29/10/2020 18:29

I've had an alert on the NHS Covid-19 app today telling to self-isolate until Sunday 8 November.

So counting back, that means I was in contact with someone on Sunday 25 Oct who has since tested positive and entered the details of their test in the app.

But I didn't leave the house on Sunday?

Any ideas please anyone?

OP posts:
MarieIVanArkleStinks · 29/10/2020 21:45

I won't get the app unless it's compulsory

Reaching a state where it was ever made compulsory would be the best reason of all to ensure the thing never gets near your phone. Enforced surveillance in any society for any reason is the thin end of a very dangerous wedge. We've seen where it ends, and should have no desire to sleep-walk into such a place.

Lurkingforawhile · 29/10/2020 23:14

@gingerbread88 I don't think you can check the app with the track and trace system. They work on different basis, and wouldn't know if I was sat behind someone in a cafe or queued in front of someone. That's why I like the principle of the app, but I don't like not knowing where they identified the contact

Legoandloldolls · 29/10/2020 23:18

I would bet it's from a neighbour. The app must work on gps so it has no idea if there is walls between you. Theres no way a app can know that level of detail.it doesnt ask you to enter your address, but if it did it could work out if in separate houses if you didnt share the same postcode

gingerbread88 · 29/10/2020 23:20

@Lurkingforawhile ah I see what you mean. We have had 3 out of 5 of us positive in this house recently and I kid you not, I fielded 14 separate calls from 14 different test and trace agents in a 3 hour period last Friday. They have definitely gone into the nuisance call territory for us.
That's why I wouldn't trust that service as my experience has been somewhat shambolic. They open you a case as a positive and then a case as a contact and you get multiple calls for each account so between 5 of us we worked out we had 8 accounts open (!) not sure about 'world leading' service.

Chaotic45 · 30/10/2020 07:14

My husband got a warning on the app, then an isolate message. That day he would have met my parents outside, driven his elderly aunt to hospital and gone to work.

As it was he cancelled all these things (after the warning, the isolate message came later).

It turned out that his cousin has tested positive and they had had coffee together.

We are so thankful that the app helped us reduce the risk of him passing the virus on.

I realise this may not be relevant to the OP, but it is to those refusing to download the app.

As someone who dodged a bullet thanks to the app, you all sound bonkers and selfish.

Lurkingforawhile · 30/10/2020 07:14

@gingerbread88 that does sound awful! Hope you're all ok and not too poorly

PleasantVille · 30/10/2020 07:20

@Legoandloldolls

I would bet it's from a neighbour. The app must work on gps so it has no idea if there is walls between you. Theres no way a app can know that level of detail.it doesnt ask you to enter your address, but if it did it could work out if in separate houses if you didnt share the same postcode
The app works by Bluetooth not GPS.I doesn't need to know where you live to function
fiddlerjo · 30/10/2020 07:27

@rwalker

Track and trace are idiots my dad caught it in hospital loads of negative tests tested each time he was transferred ward put on a ward full of cover and would you believe next day tested positive . He's been in hospital 10 miles away for the last 6weeks . No visitors allowed and she's been told to isolate for 14 days from last thursday . It was a person who rung her my mum tried to explain she's 81 and the woman was having none of it you can't contact them at all.
So what if she is 81, she can still get and pass on covid
Imissmoominmama · 30/10/2020 07:28

My message had my name at the top. Was your name on it?

BewareTheBeardedDragon · 30/10/2020 07:30

But does Bluetooth know if there's a wall between you? My Bluetooth devices connect from some distance, through multiple walls. So if I'm sat in my sitting room and my neighbour is in his on the other side of the wall we could easily be within 2m of each other for a long period with no risk at all.

It does seem like it would be logical to log your address at the least to prevent this instance in terraces and semis.

It hadn't occurred to be before now that it hadn't asked me this.

Lurkingforawhile · 30/10/2020 07:41

This is what the message looked like - couldn't be much clearer! No name at the top but no need as it was on my phone

App has told me to self-isolate - but haven't been anywhere?
rookiemere · 30/10/2020 07:46

I simply don't understand why anyone would self isolate for a fortnight when they know for a fact they haven't been in contact with anyone during that period. I would do it if contacted by track and trace as that would be based on people based evidence, but doing it because of a glitchy app when you're pretty sure it's not correct - no chance.

I am glad my phone is too old for the Scottish version - but before anyone shouts at me, I scan in and out of venues as required or leave my correct written details.

PostItJoyWeek · 30/10/2020 07:53

@Chaotic45

My husband got a warning on the app, then an isolate message. That day he would have met my parents outside, driven his elderly aunt to hospital and gone to work.

As it was he cancelled all these things (after the warning, the isolate message came later).

It turned out that his cousin has tested positive and they had had coffee together.

We are so thankful that the app helped us reduce the risk of him passing the virus on.

I realise this may not be relevant to the OP, but it is to those refusing to download the app.

As someone who dodged a bullet thanks to the app, you all sound bonkers and selfish.

Did his cousin not call and tell him? What a bastard.

You shouldn't need involvement of a government agency to find out that your cousin has covid.

Teateaandmoretea · 30/10/2020 07:53

As someone who dodged a bullet thanks to the app, you all sound bonkers and selfish.

But the OP didn’t have coffee with anyone. Obviously your husband is out and about more than a lot of people. There is no way when you know that you haven’t been within 2m of anyone for 15 minutes that you would self isolate because of a glitchy app.

Teateaandmoretea · 30/10/2020 07:54

You shouldn't need involvement of a government agency to find out that your cousin has covid.

^^exactly this

Moondust001 · 30/10/2020 07:57

*I realise this may not be relevant to the OP, but it is to those refusing to download the app.

As someone who dodged a bullet thanks to the app, you all sound bonkers and selfish.*

And you sound ridiculous. I know exactly where I have been and with whom at all times in the last weeks (and months actually). I do not need an app to tell me that I have not been out of my very remote house for the last week except to walk my dog, on our own without any people, thank you very much. If your social life is so busy that you can't recall where you have been or who with, then perhaps it is you who are the problem and you should be less selfish. Or judgemental. One of the two. Who the hell do you think you are to judge others situations?

Teateaandmoretea · 30/10/2020 08:02

@Moondust001 the problem with all of this is people believe sensible social distancing and precautions is whatever they personally do. Everyone else is an idiot will fully spreading the lurgy.

TheDaydreamBelievers · 30/10/2020 08:07

@Queenie24 I'm pretty sure your husbands boss just doesnt wantv18 people home for 2 weeks as they DEFINITELY should be

Orcus · 30/10/2020 08:09

As someone who dodged a bullet thanks to the app, you all sound bonkers and selfish.

You don't sound very bright if you don't realise that for millions of us, the issue of having coffee with a cousin, or anyone you don't live with, doesn't arise because it's illegal. Also yes, some of us have sufficiently functional relationships with the people we love that they'd tell us themselves.

ImAncient · 30/10/2020 08:13

^

The day Dh went for his test we notified people he’d seen that week. 2 whose immediate family were undergoing chemo & another who was going out with his family for birthday lunch that day. Everyone else we told when he got his result. Surprised your dhs cousin didn’t tbh.

ImAncient · 30/10/2020 08:15

That was to Chaotic

RichardMarxisinnocent · 30/10/2020 08:42

From what I understand, the app calculates time spent in close proximity cumulatively across the day, so in Ikea if you stood close to the same person for a few minutes several times during your visit that could be enough to have you as high risk and needing to isolate. The algorithm also takes into account how contagious the positive person would have been on the day of your contact with them.

Lurkingforawhile · 30/10/2020 09:10

Thanks @RichardMarxisinnocent - that makes sense and would also work for my waitrose queue and store visit. Now you all know my shopping habits!

For those who think I'm daft to have the app this is what it's designed for. Anyone I know and spend time with would tell me I'm sure. I'm just relieved it's only 7 days to go now as less chance of me showing any symptoms now. I wish I had known earlier though.

sirfredfredgeorge · 30/10/2020 09:49

She can't possibly have encountered anyone during the timeframe, and has decided that someone at her place of work has engineered it to ensure she doesn't return to the office so that she misses out on a particular work opportunity

This is possible, but it's relatively difficult, all you need is a phone that you place in contact with your target for over the required threshold, because it just needs to be a phone not a person, you can place it on their window sill and it will probably manage to trigger the contact of someone inside.

Then you need to find a person with a positive test code so you can enter it into the app of this phone to trigger the isolate message. That is of course harder, depending on how prevalent the virus is in your area, but it's not that difficult with 20,000 positive tests a day.

So it is possible, but it's not easy.

Springersrock · 30/10/2020 09:59

A friend’s mum had a message to tell her she’d been in contact and needed to isolate for 9 days earlier this week

She’s having an operation on Monday so has been isolating at home for nearly 2 weeks as she had been told by the hospital. Other than my friend dropping the odd bag of shopping on her doorstep, she hasn’t been out, seen anyone or had anyone in her house

Not sure why she had the app on while she was at home but she clearly hasn’t been in contact with anyone so something has gone wrong somewhere.

It must be a neighbour or something, but friend can’t contact anyone at T&T to clarify it