Trying to get my head around the '10 days isolation rule'

[Iwonder777]

In England, the gov seem to be saying to isolate for ten full days FROM the day you test positive (or symptoms begin etc). So day one of isolation is 24 hours in - is that right?

Whereas in Scotland, scot gov guidance says 'isolate for 10 days' ..,.with little clarification as to from when exactly. From what I can see anyway?

People I know (in Scotland) are counting the day of their first symptoms/ positive test result as day one of isolation. Effectively doing a day less quarantine than in England ....

Trying to get my head round Scotland's slant on the 10 day isolation. Or I may be confused Can anyone possibly help please? Thanks

Shameless bump

Hi,

My son tested positive Mon, we are in Wales. My email says ten days starting from the day following the start of symptoms, so technically that’s 11

He had a temp this mon (14th) and tested same day. He’s positive. I worked out we can go out Xmas Eve, so 24th. But track and trace say 25th. My parents have been identified as contacts, they had contact within 48hrs of him getting symptoms. They have been told isolation ends 22nd yet we stay home till 25th. I’m confused by it all.

We have always classed the day symptoms started as day 0 (a school) and this matches the advice we’ve been given by PHE every time. 10 full days isolation

Yes confusing.

Any Scots, with insight 😁?

We have isolated as a household three times.

Twice household member had a negative test, so we went back about our business after that.
The once was pre-testing so we all had to do the full 14 days from onset of symptoms. 24 hours after onset of symptoms (or the morning after when I realised the nighttime cough was lingering) brought us up to day 1. Each 24 hours following that was a further day.

Dumpling, are you in Scotland - under test and protect ? X

Yes, I am in Scotland. This was in March, so before Test and Protect was launched.
It's still the way I would count days now.

@Cyclingwidow15
Contacts in a different household isolate for 10 days starting from the day after they last saw the person who tested positive, so in most cases will have at least one day difference than the household of the person who tested positive.

I’m very confused too. What happens in this case in England- DS and DD have symptoms Sunday 6 Dec. Get tested on Tuesday 8th both get positives. T&t say to isolate up to and including 16th so free from isolation from 17th Meanwhile DS2 is isolating because he’s a contact of there’s and gets a test weds 9th comes back positive (no symptoms) He has to isolate up to and including 19th can go out stop isolating on 20th. Is this correct so far or does DS1 have to restart isolation with DS2. Meanwhile DD remains unwell with temp fatigue etc so will remain isolated as unwell . can DS still stop isolating on 17th and can DS2 stop on 20th or do they need to wait for DD to be better? Meanwhile DP still has no symptoms snd tested negative with DS2 and has been isolating from the 8th so can they stop isolating on 20th too ? All very confusing ! Any advice ?

statisticalsense my contacts have both been told 10 days starting from the point of last contact, counting the day of contact as day one. So they had contact with my son 48 hours before he developed symptoms yet they have definitely been told they end isolation 72 hours before we do

Feel like we are being hard done by with the extra day

Timeline:

Sat 12th contact with grandparents and friend.

Mon 14th DS has high temperature and gets tested.

Tue 15th result come back positive

Wed 16 TT contact us and grandparents and friends.
We are told isolation until 25th Dec, they all get told isolation until 22nd Dec. 3 days difference yet it was two days between the contact and the symptoms appearing.

I still don’t get it. Waiting for them to ring again today so I can clarify this.

Just to add we will 100% do as we are told and isolate until the date given it just seems strange and confusing it’s no wonder people end up breaking the rules, especially if 10 days is really 11.

Exactly.

Baffling 😏

But does the isolation stop if the test is negative? That's what seems to vary so much.

In Scotland and have only isolated due to 'close contact' not symptoms/test but we were given the dates to isolate "up to and including" so there was no ambiguity and we didn't have to count days ourselves.

@TodgerStrunk

But does the isolation stop if the test is negative? That's what seems to vary so much.

If you’re isolating due to a contact then you could develop it at any point in the ten days so you can’t do a test on day five and then stop isolating. You have to isolate for the ten days.

It is confusing. We got two different dates from Test and Trace and local PHE/school. The former class the first day of symptoms or test if you have no symptoms as day 1, the latter, day 0 as mentioned upthread.

@wakemeupwhenitssunny

I’m very confused too. What happens in this case in England- DS and DD have symptoms Sunday 6 Dec. Get tested on Tuesday 8th both get positives. T&t say to isolate up to and including 16th so free from isolation from 17th Meanwhile DS2 is isolating because he’s a contact of there’s and gets a test weds 9th comes back positive (no symptoms) He has to isolate up to and including 19th can go out stop isolating on 20th. Is this correct so far or does DS1 have to restart isolation with DS2. Meanwhile DD remains unwell with temp fatigue etc so will remain isolated as unwell . can DS still stop isolating on 17th and can DS2 stop on 20th or do they need to wait for DD to be better? Meanwhile DP still has no symptoms snd tested negative with DS2 and has been isolating from the 8th so can they stop isolating on 20th too ? All very confusing ! Any advice ?

Similar situation t&t told me we can stop isolation on 16-17th as my symptoms started 7th dec first in house to test pos Ds1 has too until 23rd as his pos test was 13th T&t rang me today to say I'm 23rd too but after ringing back they confirmed my isolation is over... along with DP DS2 Dd after today I think even t&t aren't sure sometimes it's very confusing 🤷🏻‍♀️

If you’re isolating due to a contact then you could develop it at any point in the ten days so you can’t do a test on day five and then stop isolating. You have to isolate for the ten days.

But what if you are only isolating because someone in your household had symptoms - but who actually tested negative because it was just a nasty cold.

@TodgerStrunk

If you’re isolating due to a contact then you could develop it at any point in the ten days so you can’t do a test on day five and then stop isolating. You have to isolate for the ten days.

But what if you are only isolating because someone in your household had symptoms - but who actually tested negative because it was just a nasty cold.

If you were isolating due to the cold symptoms and test was neg and you've not been in contact with a positive case isolation doesn't need to continue.

Indeed.

I was counting my isolation 10 days from my test, so I was tested on 10th and I was going to isolate up to and including 20th.

Test and trace count test day as day one so they are saying I isolate up to and including 19th so I can go out on the 20th.