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Original poster

Do I need to isolate?

87 replies

samanthawashington · 29/01/2021 20:34

My BIL (lives with Dsis and children) tested covid positive today after feeling flulike yesterday when he came home from work. He had the vaccine 17 days ago, but is coughing today too. Sis had the vaccine 11 days ago. So far she and kids are fine. BIL looked ok yesterday and not ill. His flow test was neg, but the test he did last night at the centre was positive today.

I briefly saw BIL when he came home from work as I was visiting Dsis. I was there in his company about 5 minutes. Said hello and left. DSis and I are in a family bubble.

Do I have to isolate as I only saw him briefly at 2 m anyway?

OP posts:
GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat · 29/01/2021 20:37

Yes assuming this was yesterday that you saw him.

dementedpixie · 29/01/2021 20:40

No
Its face to face contact under 1m or 15 minutes at under 2m to be counted as a close contact

dementedpixie · 29/01/2021 20:41

Although maybe regulations are different if you are in a bubble with them

davidsSchitt · 29/01/2021 20:42

I thought the bubble effectively made you one household. So yes, you all isolate

8MinutesToSunrise · 29/01/2021 20:42

You should self isolate IF
"someone in your support bubble tested positive and you’ve been in close contact with them since they had the test or in the 48 hours before their test"

davidsSchitt · 29/01/2021 20:43

From the government website:

If anyone in your support bubble develops symptomss or tests positive for coronavirus, follow the stay at home guidancee.

8MinutesToSunrise · 29/01/2021 20:46

That's the official guidance but I think we should all be very much erring on the side of caution as much as possible. You were in his environment and in close contact with people he has been in close contact with

Dee261 · 29/01/2021 20:46

Yes you should self isolate
someone in your support bubble has symptoms and you’ve been in close contact with them since their symptoms started or during the 48 hours before they started

I know that your saying you stayed away from him and that you only had 5mins together but did you wash the door handle that he had touched to come in that I am presuming you touched when leaving sorry if this sounds silly but just 1 of the possible ways is transmission of the virus 🙈.

I hope your ok and have not got it and hope that your BIL makes a fast recovery from in Flowers

RichardMarxisinnocent · 29/01/2021 20:46

@dementedpixie

Although maybe regulations are different if you are in a bubble with them
I think(but need to double check) if you're in a support bubble (which is assume you are as there's not such thing as a family bubble) the rules say you isolate if you've been in contact with the positive person up to 48 hours before their symptoms started, so you would need to isolate. You're counted as one household so if you've seen each other you isolate in the same way as a household would, I don't think it matters how close you got. I will check though.
minniemango · 29/01/2021 20:48

Since you're a bubble and you've been in his house with him then yes.

bookshop1 · 29/01/2021 20:48

Yes you need to isolate

RichardMarxisinnocent · 29/01/2021 20:48

Cross post, I see others have already quoted the rules.

dementedpixie · 29/01/2021 20:51

There are definitions of close contact:

Do I need to isolate?
davidsSchitt · 29/01/2021 20:53

Are you ignoring the example of being in their home environment @dementedpixie

RichardMarxisinnocent · 29/01/2021 20:58

Interestingly nhs.uk and gov.uk give different information. Gov.uk just says sele isolate if anyone in the bubble test positive or has symptoms, while nhs.uk mentions close contact and the 48 hour timescale.

dementedpixie · 29/01/2021 20:58

I'm not ignoring anything. Just giving definition of a close contact

Original poster
samanthawashington · 29/01/2021 21:00

@8MinutesToSunrise Not seen him all week except a quick hello when he came home yesterday. 2 m away. He Tested yesterday evening and it came back positive today. So I don't need to isolate as such, just keep to the usual lockdown stuff. Go to local shop click and collect.

Scary times ☹️

OP posts:
Original poster
samanthawashington · 29/01/2021 21:05

I wasn't in close contact with him, but I was with sis. She is so far clear. I think if he has passed it on to her in the incubation period, and she passed it on to me?? BIl was fine when I saw him and just felt off in the evening.

Support bubble yes, but close contact no with him, but yes with the other adult and kids.

I am not going out except to shops as I have to collect Dsis click and collect shopping for her. She's definitely isolating with the kids and can't get a delivery.

This is so difficult, just the logistics.

OP posts:
RedskyBynight · 29/01/2021 21:05

You have to isolate because you're in the same support bubble - which means you have to treat him as being in the same household as you.
Someone in your household tests positive = you have to self-isolate.
The length of contact is immaterial.

MarmiteWine · 29/01/2021 21:14

You shouldn't even be going to the shops though. Which part of the Gov.UK guidance telling you to self-isolate if any member of the 'household' tests positive don't you understand?

You and your BIL are treated as being in the same household if you've been mixing with the people who live with him. That's how bubbles work. And one of the reasons manynof us chose not to be in bubbles even though we were allowed to. You don't get to choose which parts of the rules you want to follow and which to ignore.

Stay home!

minniemango · 29/01/2021 21:15

I imagine when test & trace contact him and he tells them you are part of his bubble, they will contact you.

RichardMarxisinnocent · 29/01/2021 21:17

@RedskyBynight

You have to isolate because you're in the same support bubble - which means you have to treat him as being in the same household as you. Someone in your household tests positive = you have to self-isolate. The length of contact is immaterial.
This. If you hadn't been in their house at all in the 48 hours before the positive test you wouldn't need to according to nhs.uk but you were there yesterday so you do need to. You had close contact with him by virtue of being in his house. If you go by gov.uk you need to self isolate regardless of having been in their house.

You can't go and pick up the click and collect, someone else will have to do it, and you don't just need to do the usual lockdown stuff, you need to stay in your home for 10 days.

davidsSchitt · 29/01/2021 21:18

You can't go to the shops. Just stay at home

Angel2702 · 29/01/2021 21:21

[quote samanthawashington]@8MinutesToSunrise Not seen him all week except a quick hello when he came home yesterday. 2 m away. He Tested yesterday evening and it came back positive today. So I don't need to isolate as such, just keep to the usual lockdown stuff. Go to local shop click and collect.

Scary times ☹️[/quote]
No you still isolate as you are counted as part of their household if you are in a support bubble. Doesn’t matter how long you were in contact for you’ve been in contact with the bubble and you isolate as if you lived together. That’s how bubbles work, your are one household.

majesticallyawkward · 29/01/2021 21:22

Bubble means you treat it like one household do you all isolate.

Contact with him is a red herring, you are part of their household so you isolate and presumably he had close contact with your sister so she could have passed it to you without you being close to him.

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