Can we just clarify please that no, isolating children should NOT be going between separated parents

[CircusPolly]

I've seen so much misinformation on this subject recently on various threads.

Children can travel between parents during lockdown yes. But this does not apply when the child has been told to isolate. They should be staying at whichever home they were at when told to isolate.

Yes it's shit. Yes it's unfair that one parent would have to take 2 weeks off potentially. But it doesn't make it any less true.

And no, if your child tests negative it doesn't mean they can then go. The isolation period must be completed at whichever house they are at.

Correct.

researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8901/CBP-8901.pdf

"2.2 Children who are self-isolating (England) Under The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) Regulations 2020, as amended, which came into force on 28 September 2020, if an adult is notified (other than via the NHS Covid-19 smartphone app) that their child has had close contact with somebody who has tested positive for coronavirus, the adult must “secure, so far as reasonably practicable, that the child self-isolates” for fourteen days. A person subject to the self-isolation requirement must not leave their home except for a list of reasons specified in paragraph 2(3) of the regulations – e.g. where it is necessary to seek medical assistance. Visiting a parent whom a child was not living with at the time they were notified of the requirement to self-isolate is not specifically listed as a reason why a child self-isolating may leave the house. Further information is provided in guidance published by Public Health England for contacts of people with confirmed coronavirus infection who do not live with the person.4 If contact between a child and their parents is court ordered, individuals may wish to take specialist advice. Although it was published before the regulations above came into force, the March 2020 guidance published by the President of the Family Division of the High Court (cited in Section 2.1 and 2.3) states the following regarding situations where it is not possible to adhere to court-ordered contact due to self-isolation: Where Coronavirus restrictions cause the letter of a court order to be varied, the spirit of the order should nevertheless be delivered by making safe alternative arrangements for the child. If it is not possible to maintain the child's routine due to illness or selfisolation, or non-availability of, or risk to, people who ordinarily support contact, the courts will expect alternative arrangements to be made to establish and maintain regular contact between the child and the other parent, for example remotely – by Face-Time, WhatsApp Face-Time, Skype, Zoom or other video connection or, if that is not possible, by telephone."

Well. I regularly check updates on the government website and thought I was aware of the restrictions but I did not know that!

I've seen so many people telling posters they can send their isolating kids to their ex and quoting the general lockdown guidance for separated parents.

People are missing that the general guidance does not apply when we are talking about isolation.

The whole purpose of isolating is to limit contact and stay in one place. I'm not sure why people would even think it were a good idea to send kids off to another household to potentially infect them as well (and then everyone they come into contact with and so on).

It's the same with the negative test. Having a negative test one day does not mean that you will not have a positive one later on in the isolation period, hence why a negative test does not end isolation. Regardless of a negative test or usual contact, children should stay with whichever parent they were with at the time they were told to isolate even if that is the NRP.