Do I REALLY have to self isolate?

[BusyBB]

So I got a notification from track and trace app to isolate for 10 days.

Called work, a care home where we always wear masks, and have had a test on site. One of my close colleagues has tested positive, but the day that she had tested didn't tally up with the days I had been told to isolate for. If the days did tally up, I would be able to go to work and ignore the message to self isolate.

But guess what, the day I last saw her (two days before she tested) does tally up with how many days i have to isolate for!

I haven't been anywhere else except to see my dad (support bubble, who hasnt tested positive) and occasionally in the shop, but would not have been within two meters of some one for 15 minutes and always wearing a mask.

So am I being unreasonable to think I shouldn't have to isolate if my test comes back negative?

The difference is that medical grade PPE should stop transmission.

The masks people typically wear to go to Tescos, probably not so reliable!!

@LITHIUMcomeasUare read the thread. Health care workers/medics/nurses have entirely different guidance. My daughter is a nurse in a Covid ward. She would never be at work if she had to isolate after being in contact with someone with Covid.

As far as I can tell, the same guidance applies to care home workers who wear PPE all day.

@Gwenhwyfar if it didn't work that way care homes and covid wards would be left with no staff to work.

We have 9 different staff members in the building during a 24 hour period. They all have contact with each other. We have have around 25 people employed as regular staff and around 5 temp/cover/weekend staff.

If 2 staff members tested postive on two different days that's over half of our entire staff off for 2 weeks.

We currently have 3 staff members isolating due to testing postive or showing symptoms. We worked out the other day there's only 2 staff who have not been in contact with one of the three who are isolating, myself and the other weekend only worker. We need a minimum of five staff just to cover the morning shift.

@Greysparkles

Is that really how it works? Masks reduce transmission but don't cut it totally do they?

Think about it. How else could it possibly work

I mean, is that how transmission risk works? Rather than, is that how the NHS can manage. Where I live everyone has to wear masks outside so apart from your bubble, you always have a mask on. There is an app here too. What is the point of the app for us then? Because whenever I would be in contact with someone, I would be wearing a mask. If wearing a mask prevented any transmission, the virus would have disappeared here a long time ago. It's obviously still being transmitted even with masks on.

BusyBB it is a LEGAL OBLIGATION to isolate if contacted by track and trace. If this means you will lose pay and in financial hardship you are eligible to claim the £500 grant.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/test-and-trace-support-payment-scheme-claiming-financial-support/claiming-financial-support-under-the-test-and-trace-support-payment-scheme

Under the circumstances of working with vulnerable old people you'd think that would be the one place people would be ultra careful

I heard they are only recently doing routine testing in care workers- scary really

"@Gwenhwyfar if it didn't work that way care homes and covid wards would be left with no staff to work."

Yes, OK, so it's just a matter of practicality rather than how the virus is transmitted. That's what I meant with 'how does that work?'.

@Melaniaswig

Ffs how many more of these threads are we going to have. YES YOU HAVE TO ISOLATE.

Just scroll on past threads that don't interest you FFS

[quote Gwenhwyfar]"@Gwenhwyfar if it didn't work that way care homes and covid wards would be left with no staff to work."

Yes, OK, so it's just a matter of practicality rather than how the virus is transmitted. That's what I meant with 'how does that work?'.[/quote]
The PPE that people in health settings wear is different from the mask you would wear to go out in, that’s why medical grade PPE is regarded as different to a regular mask.

Where I live everyone has to wear masks outside so apart from your bubble, you always have a mask on. There is an app here too. What is the point of the app for us then? Because whenever I would be in contact with someone, I would be wearing a mask.

Medical grade PPE is (or should be!) much more than a cloth mask, that may or may not have been used multiple times and shoved in a hadbag at some stage!

[quote Trickyboy]BusyBB it is a LEGAL OBLIGATION to isolate if contacted by track and trace. If this means you will lose pay and in financial hardship you are eligible to claim the £500 grant.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/test-and-trace-support-payment-scheme-claiming-financial-support/claiming-financial-support-under-the-test-and-trace-support-payment-scheme[/quote]
Yes test and trace. The app isn't valid apparently

And have you tried to get a hold of that grant? It's bullshit.

[quote catsarecute]OP I don't know if this will apply to you, but in some circumstances there is a £500 support payment available for people who have to isolate. It looks like it's for people asked to isolate through test and trace though, not the app. There's one that people can be eligible for (criteria are quite narrow) and a discretionary one too.

If you end up isolating and out of pocket because of it, please write to your MP and let them know, as this policy of ordinary people being worse off for doing the right thing is undermining the whole government strategy, and they need to address it (it's something that Keir Stamer brought up at PMQ's this week).

I hope both you and your colleague are ok.

This is the info on the support payments: www.gov.uk/government/publications/test-and-trace-support-payment-scheme-claiming-financial-support/claiming-financial-support-under-the-test-and-trace-support-payment-scheme[/quote]
Aye if you're on a qualifying benefit and have been contacted by test and trace. Not the APP.

I think it's a case of different PPE (which is more effective) and training meaning transmission is less likely and practicality.

The public wear masks (often incorrectly). We wear masks, aprons and gloves which we've had training on how to wear/remove correctly and we wash and sanitise our hands after every contact with a resident/staff member. We're going through a lot of handcream atm.

We also have to take our temp immediately upon entering the building and at various points during the shift and cannot walk to work or home from work in our uniform. It must be double bagged after shift and washed at 60c+ immediately upon going home.

"Medical grade PPE is (or should be!) much more than a cloth mask, that may or may not have been used multiple times and shoved in a hadbag at some stage!"

The person who said no need to self-isolate if you're wearing a mask was talking about normal surgical masks, not FP3 masks.

Yes, you do.
Nurses and doctors can catch it wearing a hazmat suit, a mask will offer even less protection.

Most medical staff I know have access to surgical masks rather than FFP3 . There is still not enough medical grade PPE to go around.

By different PPE I meant surgical masks as opposed to reusable plus gloves and aprons.

"The public wear masks (often incorrectly). We wear masks, aprons and gloves which we've had training on how to wear/remove correctly and we wash and sanitise our hands after every contact with a resident/staff member. We're going through a lot of handcream atm."

Yes, but you're having more contact in the first place. I don't have to wash my hands after touching anyone because I haven't touched anyone for 8 months. Every time I touch a potentially contaminated surface I have to sanitise my hands too though so I also need to use more hand cream.

"I think it's a case of different PPE (which is more effective) "

Another poster said they're wearing surgical masks, which the public also wear.

"We wear masks, aprons and gloves"

Only in the high risk areas, no? Or all nurses and all care staff?

"We also have to take our temp immediately upon entering the building and at various points during the shift"

Which doesn't really prove anything does it? You could be incubating it.

Sounds like it's more about practicality to me. There's obviously not enough spare staff to step in if some are absent.
Where I am, medical staff work even with proven Covid if they don't have symptoms. That's obviously crap and they only do it because they don't have enough staff.

"By different PPE I meant surgical masks as opposed to reusable plus gloves and aprons."

The public also wear surgical masks though don't we? At least, I thought that was what those blue ones were.
Some people also have FP2 if not FP3.

Is this a joke?
You have been contacted by track and trace, yes you absolutely have to isolate.

@Choirbells

Is this a joke? You have been contacted by track and trace, yes you absolutely have to isolate.

But she hasn’t been contacted.

We have to wear them in all areas and change gloves and apron after completing one call before moving on to another resident. All the nurses who come in put on fresh masks, gloves and aprons before entering the building and change them between residents if they're coming to see more than one resident.

The only place this doesn't apply is in the staff room. We only have to wear a mask in the staff room.

But yeah, it is most about practicality. There isn't enough trained staff to cover absence if we sent home everyone who had contact with Covid.There never would be in some settings such as a Covid ward or a care home infected with Covid. Think about it, you would need hundreds if not thousands of staff (depending on the size of the building and the number of staff required per shift) if staff could only work one shift a fortnight.

"We have to wear them in all areas and change gloves and apron after completing one call before moving on to another resident. All the nurses who come in put on fresh masks, gloves and aprons before entering the building and change them between residents if they're coming to see more than one resident."

I'm glad to hear it. I know that care homes (I suppose you're in a nursing home?) were really struggling to get adequate PPE at the beginning.

I wouldn’t bother.
It’s so inaccurate and people need to get on with their lives.

Okay, but she has a notification from them telling her she's been in contact with a positive case, whether, so its obvious.

Why have you left yiur bluetooth on if your phone isn't on you?

I thought healthcare were tokd to rurn it off while working?