Are most people not bothering to isolate when instructed to?

[Mallowmarshmallow]

Our primary bubble was informed to isolate on Saturday afternoon including my eldest DC due to a case in the year group.

The child who tested positive has been seen playing at the park and parents have been seen in shops.

Meanwhile, the other 49 children in the year are supposed to be isolating at home, we are following the rules.

Local secondary school has totally closed with cases in every year and certain year groups are isolating including two children on our street who can be seen out walking/riding/playing with friends every day.

Feeling like a bit of a mug to be following the rules if nobody else is bothering....

Were there not figures months ago that only 20% of contacts actually isolated?

I honestly couldn't guess if you offered me a million pounds to do so. I would have a 1 in 64 chance of getting it right (two classes of kids and their teachers). But then, I don't get involved in playground gossip tbh. Dd is only 5, so it isn't like she's on WhatsApp! I am sure I could find out if I started asking around, but why in God's name would I want to do that ?

However, if I do take dd for a walk tomorrow, (as she is allowed, checked with the helpline and everything), and some bellend reports us, then I might be persuaded to get my Miss Marple hat on, so I can hunt the fuckers down . (Joking, obviously)!

Who would they report you to? And what would happen?

Thousands of kids all over the country are refusing to be locked up. Has any punishment been dealt to any of them? I doubt it.

Nothing’s been mentioned in the news. I’m sure some of these ‘know it all’ teachers will come up with some anecdote, but until I hear it for myself I’ll trust that our kids are safe to do as they please.

We've just finished 12 days isolation and had no idea who the positive case was although ds (year5) was speculating who it could be. Today just before lunch time on the class zoom one of the TAs let slip who the positive case was in a general chat about who and when people could leave their homes. It wasn't anyone ds thought it might be!

They tell the whole class whose tested positive in my kids’ school. Every time they have. Are they not supposed to?

I think the self-isolation rules would be taken more seriously if they were more limited and if the period was shorter. We need to acknowledge that asking people to place their children under house arrest several times when they are not ill themselves is very difficult and it probably places some children at risk too.

I agree that those who test positive should isolate properly but I'd be interested to know whether a person asked to self-isolate as a contact is actually any more likely to have covid than a random member of the population. It seems like this is a vital piece of information in justifying the self-isolation rules and would be quite easy to study but I haven't seen any stats on it. I can believe that isolation of contacts is important if cases in the population are very low but when everyone has a relatively high chance of having covid a close contact may be no more likely to have covid than anyone else. I have seen some analysis from a month of so saying that test and trace is having marginal affect on case growth so clearly it isn't working at the moment.

I also saw an article a while ago which said that a person coming from a country on the quarantine list is now no more likely to have covid than a random member of the population so self-isolation on that basis currently makes no sense.

My suspicion is that if we limited self-isolation to the person who tests positive and their household only and reduced the period to 7 days we would see very little affect on case rates and may even see an improvement.

My ds knows who tested positive as in secondary the kids talk to each other so they seem to know

@Nellee

They tell the whole class whose tested positive in my kids’ school. Every time they have. Are they not supposed to?

Absolutely not!!! That's a big breach of gdpr.

It might not be difficult to work out who it may be, but the school cannot disclose the identity- that's personal medical info.

@Carlislemumof4

How much longer is it feasible for the government to keep the 14 day isolation for a whole bubble rule in place, considering they're adamant exams will go ahead in England after Easter?

I think the isolation period should at least be reduced to 10 days, if not 7.

Unless the Government (assuming you mean UK) changed things, it was never the case that one case closed a 'bubble'

As a family we have generally followed the rules quite well, and been fairly cautious about eg visiting hairdressers, shopping centres etc.

However re our children isolating due to a case in bubble - it is not healthy to keep a young child indoors for 14 days. Can someone please tell me what the tangible risks are of taking driving to the woods and letting them run around for an hour (with no contact with other people) then driving them home again?

Intriguingly the Welsh gov have just said that isolation for contacts is now 10 days as of tomorrow. And the Welsh CMO said at the press conference just that this had been agreed among “all four nations’ CMOs”

I was speaking to a friend in France that was staggered at all the isolation happening here. There only the household isolates.

Car breaking down or crashing
One of you spraining your ankle
I think they are the main risks. Low but not zero. Of course you could sprain your ankle at home but I suspect it's more likely in the woods.

“Three parents have since posted on the class whatsapp group stating that they are not making their child isolate. “

Why are some parents like this?

And why are they stupid enough to tell everyone about it?

@yummychoccy

As a family we have generally followed the rules quite well, and been fairly cautious about eg visiting hairdressers, shopping centres etc.

However re our children isolating due to a case in bubble - it is not healthy to keep a young child indoors for 14 days. Can someone please tell me what the tangible risks are of taking driving to the woods and letting them run around for an hour (with no contact with other people) then driving them home again?

Absolutely agree. More accidents happen in the hone requiring hospital so the argument that someone might get into trouble in the woods is not valid.

The longer this goes on, the less people will isolate. People have had enough now.

I can’t see any risk in a walk in the woods very early or late when there’s no one about and wouldn’t get too wound up about it as exercise is also vital.

But the problem is if you give an inch they’ll take a mile and suddenly people would stretch it to going for a coffee or shopping etc, so the rules have to be absolute.

Unless the Government (assuming you mean UK) changed things, it was never the case that one case closed a 'bubble'

We're in the UK yes, Northern England. That was our experience late November? My Year 6 daughter had to isolate at home for 14 days due to one positive case in her Year 6 class (not a close contact of hers). The Year 5/6 class also in the bubble also isolated for the same period. The headteacher was very clear they were acting after consulting the health authority.

Thankfully there were no further positive cases identified. The isolation period ran from a Thursday (we were notified at the weekend) and I did think what a difference it would have made if the length was 10 days rather than 14, she'd have only had 5 days off school instead of 9.

All made more pointless by the fact I was told my other two children (in two different bubbles in the school and who she shares a bedroom with) had to attend school for those days or the attendance officer would be round! If Year 6 DD was asymptomatic they all three likely would have been and continuing to spread covid in school! But we got on with it that time, surely not for much longer though. The disruption for well children, particularly in important school years, is huge.

Yeah it seems crazy that you're not allowed out for a walk. I don't agree that people would start going to coffee shops etc if allowed out for exercise but maybe I'm naive.

And all the more crazy that the other household members can continue life as normal. If the risk is such that the child has to stay indoors for 14 days then bizarre no restrictions put on family members then. Presumably because government has weighed up risks etc and felt not worth it.

Also would definitely argue there are more risks with not letting children out of house for 14 days than letting them out for exercise EG accidents from pent up energy being expressed climbing on tables, jumping down stairs etc, frustrated parents who may find it overwhelming and end up taking it out on the kids, as well as general mental and physical health of the kids and parents.