Is this exposure?

[LillyBottom]

My husband ordered a takeaway. I don’t usually get involved in that as I don’t eat takeaways. But he was in the shower when the guy turned up and unfortunately I had to answer the door.

The guy wasn’t wearing a mask ( not sure if he has to but saying for context) and was by the door. I immediately stepped back and practically held my breath, not planned to but possibly involuntarily, he hasn’t if we placed an order and I just said ‘ ‘hmm’ and tapped the card to the reader.
My hallway is small so was not 6ft apart the duration would be possibly just under a minute. I’m pretty sure there will be plenty of posters saying how silly I am..sorry but I’m very anxious

Exposure?? Well you spoke to someone! I think you are being over anxious

I'm confused have you been contacted because the driver had had a positive test?

I didn’t speak, just said ‘hmm’ I didn’t want to speak

Are you serious OP? This level of paranoia/ anxiety is not normal or healthy. You had a 10 second interaction with someone and you are worried? I’m really saddened at what this pandemic has reduced a lot of people to and I genuinely worry how they will go back to normal life.

I think you will be ok. The whole thing sounds like it took a minute or less and he was outside. Is it not something like 10 minutes at less than 1m or something before it counts as "exposure" to a positive case?

No.

@queenofthelamas no- it was literally 5 minutes ago. I’m just worried that I might have been too close when getting the food parcel etc. I’m not saying he’s Covid positive but could be asymptomatic

@LillyBottom then you're being silly. You can't be exposed if you don't know they were positive...

He doesnt seem to have done anything wrong - a takeaway was ordered he came to the door and he ask you to pay with a card reader.

But yes 1 minute shouldnt be sufficient at all

@Katie517 I’m very serious and I’m very anxious - I’ve only spoken to people over Skype or Zoom for work- and the parents in my daughters school (so outside) when it was on with a mask ( the school wanted everyone in the premises to wear one during pickup) and 6 ft apart.

I don’t want to speak to anyone on my door step as we both are maskless and too close

At work we're told exposure is 15 mins or more and closer than 2m. I'd think you're fine unless he was actively coughing.

Food parcel? I thought it was takeaway.

Do you not go to the shops ever? This is a very minor interaction, I'm not sure why you're so worried.

@queenofthelamas I’ve possibly used the incorrect terminology when I said ‘ exposed’ but he could be a symptomatic and pass it on to me?

Are you particularly vulnerable OP?
Your reaction sounds extreme. Holding your breath? Refusing to speak??

@WunWun yes sorry takeaway- no I don’t go into shops, even before the pandemic 99% of all my shopping personal and groceries were online purchases and I’ve carried on the same from last year.

I think you are being over anxious

Put it into context, my husband works on a covid ward and took him 9 months to catch it, you opened your door to someone for seconds.......

You’re probably more at risk through contact with something he has touched than that short face to face interaction.

Are you extremely vulnerable?

@Yourmomgoestocollege thank you! This is what I was looking for. I recall seeing 10-15 direct contact us counted as exposure but couldn’t recall where or if this was accurate remembering on my part. No he wasn’t coughing

I'd have thought you were more at risk with your daughter at school all day rather than a 2 min drop off

No I’m not vulnerable but daughter (6) and husband both severe asthmatics and daughter has been in the A&E in the past (before Covid) due to drop in oxygen levels

@queenofthelamas daughter not in school now- last day in school was the 11th of December- they break early for Christmas and she went directly to zoom lessons

This is what I believe I read - as it says you can get infected even within the 15 min if the other person is a carrier

^^The 15-minute rule does not necessarily put you at zero risk if your exposure to an infected person was of a shorter duration. "It doesn't mean that you're getting off scot-free, nor does the '6-foot rule,' " says Dr. Joshua Barocas, an infectious disease specialist at Boston University School of Medicine.

"There is no magic number when it comes to distance or duration," says Emily Gurley, an epidemiologist and contact-tracing expert at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The coronavirus spreads when an infected person releases infectious particles while talking, coughing, singing, sneezing or even just breathing. Some of these particles are released as droplets, which generally fall to the ground within a few feet of the person who exhaled them. That's where the 6-foot guideline comes from – though it's just a guideline, not a shield of impenetrability.

A person can also expel smaller infectious particles that linger in the air for minutes or even hours and travel farther”

www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/10/09/922385856/coronavirus-faq-whats-the-deal-with-the-15-minute-rule?t=1610048796539

I’m sorry you’re feeling anxious about this but it’s a very minor interaction. Do you suffer from anxiety normally?

We still don’t know how exactly how infectious asymptomatic people actually are.
Many of us exposed through frequent interactions with positive patients don’t catch it (I haven’t had any symptoms at all since the pandemic started).
In the kindest possible way, might it be worth seeking help for your anxiety?