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Original poster

DS (16) told to self isolate by NHS app...

23 replies

littlefireseverywhere · 13/11/2020 22:57

At 10pm this evening the NHS app has told DS to self isolate but other than school he’s not been anywhere. Not visited any shops, cafes, venues etc other than school & previously school have always advised If any pupils need to isolate. Has anyone heard of the app being wrong, as I’ve no idea how he could need to?

OP posts:
Augustbreeze · 13/11/2020 23:19

Could have been another student or member of staff who haven't yet told school? Or they have, but school are still waiting for PHE or DfE advice as to who to advise to isolate?

Original poster
littlefireseverywhere · 13/11/2020 23:30

Yes, good point, we’ll obviously keep him off & check with the school to confirm on Monday.

OP posts:
LilyPond2 · 13/11/2020 23:33

From what I've read the app does not function perfectly! But school's contact tracing may not be perfect either, eg if someone who sat at a nearby table at lunchtime tested positive, is it possible the app picked up on that when the school didn't?

Flagsfiend · 14/11/2020 07:37

I imagine someone received their test result shortly before 10pm and the app sent out it's alert. It is probably someone from school (who was off Friday waiting for results), but school are not open at 10pm at night to carry out contact tracing. Depending on when the contact was you may get a call on Monday, however there are interactions at school that won't be picked up by manual contact tracing and so there is no guarantee of this (for example I spent one break time preventing a group of students entering a corridor they weren't supposed to be going down they stood around me for 20 minutes but as I didn't know their names I wouldn't be able to identify them if I tested positive but if we both had the app it should get picked up there).

movingonup20 · 14/11/2020 08:14

Probably someone from school. School may well call or email today

PleasantVille · 14/11/2020 08:18

As others have said the app is always going to be quicker than the school as it's an automatic process, we can't expect school staff to be sending out emails 24/7 The positive person probably hasn't even had a chance to contact them yet.

FippertyGibbett · 14/11/2020 08:20

We get emails from school out of hours if necessary, as they have a dedicated email address and nominated person to run it.

PleasantVille · 14/11/2020 08:34

@FippertyGibbett

We get emails from school out of hours if necessary, as they have a dedicated email address and nominated person to run it.
So do we but I wouldnt expect that person to be working round the clock and I assume that they can only start their contact checking when the person let's them know their test result and their checking isn't instantaneous like the apps is. Would they be doing that at 10pm on a Friday? I'd hope they get some time off, nothing's spoiling before this morning to start, it's not like anyone has anywhere to go if you'd in England Smile
FundamentallyFucked · 14/11/2020 08:37

Has anyone heard of the app being wrong, as I’ve no idea how he could need to?

He has only been to school so it can only be school. Our local high school had a case and track and treacle notified everyone and the news was round the town and on the local rags Facebook page a good 36 hours before school contacted the people involvedz

myhobbyisouting · 14/11/2020 08:39

How does he get to and from school?

This sounds as though you're going to ignore it if the school say they know nothing about it

TheTeenageYears · 14/11/2020 08:51

Does the app say he has to isolate if you go on it or did it just flash up as a notification? Not sure if it's been corrected but that did happen a while ago (it happened to me and I think there were MN posts on it)

Does the app work in the background all the time? If so why do you need to check in anywhere?

Has anyone else DS knows also been notified via the app?

Original poster
littlefireseverywhere · 14/11/2020 10:20

@myhobbyisouting we will ignore if school confirm that he can come in as we drive him & siblings to and from school since September.

However, yes totally open to this being correct,but no none of his friends alerted yet but most don’t have the app.

We’ll obviously only take him in if & when school confirm they’re happy to have him. I’d they agree he needs to self isolate then he will.

OP posts:
Lazypuppy · 14/11/2020 10:24

The app is glitchy! My partner got the notifcation telling him to isolate...for 3 hours! We dont know if he should have been isolating for the 14 days or if just an error but the notification came through at 9pm and told him to isolate until midnight 🤷‍♀️

FundamentallyFucked · 14/11/2020 10:25

Can I ask why he has the app if the intention is to ignore?

Original poster
littlefireseverywhere · 14/11/2020 10:29

He had the app pre lockdown. Usually he’d go to a shop or cafe or similar. But can safely say since half term, 2 weeks ago here he’s not been anywhere other than school.

OP posts:
Mollscroll · 14/11/2020 10:31

The app also sends out disappearing notifications. I got one that then disappeared. I googled it and apparently it’s a bug on the app. So check it’s still there.

Lazypuppy · 14/11/2020 10:46

OP i would be the same. I'm not just going to blindly isolate because an app tells me to. I'll count back to the day it says i was in close contact and run through what i did that day to see if i was actually in close contact with anyone

Aragog · 14/11/2020 11:16

Lazy puppy - I assume that must have been someone telling the app very late that they'd tested positive. It's 14 days from last contact for anyone who tests positive. The contacts is based in anyone seen during that time or for 48 hours before the result/symptom started.

So for me my non big 3 symptoms started on the Thursday now likely. So 48 hours before that was Tuesday. I didn't get my result until the following Wednesday after being tested the Tuesday. I updated T and T when home from hospital on the Thursday. So that's some 7 days after symptoms, and 9 days for 48 hours before. That would mean that if I'd been in contact with anyone last on the previous Tuesday then they'd only be asked to isolate for 4-5 days. The delays can be big!

So it must have been someone who tested positive but wasn't able to update the app until very late.

It would suggest that maybe the person had to wait a long time for results, or were unable to update it sooner.

nancypineapple · 14/11/2020 11:26

We had an e mail from DD's secondary school yesterday about the app. The head said they were in discussions with Dept of Ed over the use of it in schools as some students recieved notification to isolate when they weren't deemed to be of a close enough contact to the positive case in school. I imagine it's a similar case with NHS and emergency services and teaching staff being told to switch it off at work. I would phone the school and ask on Monday or send an e mail now.

Original poster
littlefireseverywhere · 15/11/2020 11:29

Email from school came this morning & confirmed he’d need to self isolate.

OP posts:
starrynight19 · 15/11/2020 11:34

We had an e mail from DD's secondary school yesterday about the app. The head said they were in discussions with Dept of Ed over the use of it in schools as some students recieved notification to isolate when they weren't deemed to be of a close enough contact to the positive case in school. I imagine it's a similar case with NHS and emergency services and teaching staff being told to switch it off at work. I would phone the school and ask on Monday or send an e mail now.

That is madness. So the ap has pinged them as being a close enough contact for a period of time but the dfe have decided that they aren’t when school have contacted them. No wonder schools are in such a mess.

Glad you cleared it up op. This is when the ap really works as schools can’t always act quickly over the weekend.

Comefromaway · 15/11/2020 11:38

@starrynight19

We had an e mail from DD's secondary school yesterday about the app. The head said they were in discussions with Dept of Ed over the use of it in schools as some students recieved notification to isolate when they weren't deemed to be of a close enough contact to the positive case in school. I imagine it's a similar case with NHS and emergency services and teaching staff being told to switch it off at work. I would phone the school and ask on Monday or send an e mail now.

That is madness. So the ap has pinged them as being a close enough contact for a period of time but the dfe have decided that they aren’t when school have contacted them. No wonder schools are in such a mess.

Glad you cleared it up op. This is when the ap really works as schools can’t always act quickly over the weekend.

That could very easily happen at dd’s & ds’s colleges for example if bags with phones in are left in the changing rooms or at the back of a class during practical sessions but the student themselves are nowhere near the other person.
Ilikewinter · 15/11/2020 11:41

I work in a pharmacy and we are told to switch the app off during work time, we are less than 2mtrs apart due to space but wear ppe all day, have an enhanced cleaning schedule and have till screens up to seperate us from customers.
Ive not had the app switched on for weeks, kept forgetting and now I cant be bothered to be honest.

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