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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:
CrocodilesCry · 29/01/2021 21:24

I'm not clear what you mean by family bubble but do you mean you are a single person and they are your support bubble?

If it were me, yes I would self isolate for 10 days. The rules say:

Self-isolate immediately if

  • 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
  • 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

The rules do state "close contact" but chances are the rest of the family could have it or will test positive to, so the right thing to do is self isolate even if you were 2m from him - and especially if you had been in further contact with him or them in the 48 hours before his positive test or symptoms starting.

GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat · 29/01/2021 21:24

Yes it’s scary times because people like you don’t stick to the rules!

Original poster
samanthawashington · 29/01/2021 21:36
  • 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
- 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

But I haven't been in close contact with him. Normally I would have but this week it was a quick hello as he came in, and he went straight into the kitchen and I talked to him at the door. Yes, close contact with the house before he was symptomatic and yes, with Dsis and the kiddies. He didn't have symptoms until the evening and I was long gone by then. To me it seems a very grey area, but I'll read all the links to see if I fall into the category to isolate.

OP posts:
MarmiteWine · 29/01/2021 21:38

The guidance that applies is here Stay at Home Guidance.

This specifically says that guidance to self-isolate applies to people in your support bubble or childcare bubble.

I'm stunned that after all this time people aren't using the Gov.UK pages as their primary source of guidance.

Dee261 · 29/01/2021 21:48

If you have had contact previously to today with him then you definitely need to isolate.
You would not wake up tomorrow and have the virus with being in contact with someone who has it today as it does not show symptoms right away and your family members may have it but just not showing symptoms.
Is there other family or friends that are able to support both you and them just now with shopping and things to allow you all to isolate?

Original poster
samanthawashington · 29/01/2021 21:49

I will collect the shopping from click and collect tomorrow as there is no one else to collect shopping for my Dsis but apart from that I'll stay home. The click and collect is in a car park and no risk to anyone. We can't all starve for 10 days.

OP posts:
Original poster
samanthawashington · 29/01/2021 21:54

@Dee261

If you have had contact previously to today with him then you definitely need to isolate. You would not wake up tomorrow and have the virus with being in contact with someone who has it today as it does not show symptoms right away and your family members may have it but just not showing symptoms. Is there other family or friends that are able to support both you and them just now with shopping and things to allow you all to isolate?
No contact at all this week apart from a quick hello and 2 m distance. Then I went out. Normally we would have a cuppa together before I went but I was in a rush. He wasn't symptomatic and looked fine. It was later in the evening he felt off.

No one else to help out with shopping and it will be awful for sis as DN is disabled and she will need to manage him alone. Hence our support bubble.

Bloody covid

OP posts:
user1493494961 · 29/01/2021 21:59

You're not listening OP.

davidsSchitt · 29/01/2021 22:00

Get someone else to collect the shopping. Stay at home.

Original poster
samanthawashington · 29/01/2021 22:01

@user1493494961

You're not listening OP.
Will you feed me and my Dsis then? 3 trips to click and collect in 10 days, is not a wedding party.
OP posts:
Original poster
samanthawashington · 29/01/2021 22:04

Will try for a home delivery slot next week though

OP posts:
Porcupineintherough · 29/01/2021 22:06

Is there no one you could ask to pick up the shopping for you? A friend or neighbour. I agree that click and collect is a pretty low risk thing to do, but it would be better to send someone.

Tiredmum100 · 29/01/2021 22:06

You could be asymptomatic and potentially spread it to the shop worker by going to collect your food order. That's why its still spreading because people will always have a reason or excuse not to follow the rules. Could you not see if there is a volunteer service that would be willing to collect the order? You may not have caught it from your brother in law but your sister could be asymptomatic and have already passed it to you.

RichardMarxisinnocent · 29/01/2021 22:08

2 trips to click and collect??? As a PP said get someone else to collect, if there really aren't any local family, friends, colleagues or acquaintances willing to collect, contact a local covid mutual support group, this is the sort of thing they are there for.

trunumber · 29/01/2021 22:12

You know people are highly contagious before they're symptomatic though? It doesn't matter if he had symptoms when you saw him

Original poster
samanthawashington · 29/01/2021 22:13

I'll put something up on the local fb page as there are people there helping out with this. Click and collect at my local Tesco is very low risk anyway. You pull into a parking space and they stand 2 m away, take your name, then wheel your stuff out for you to load up. Open air and all that, but I get the point.

BIl has a box of lateral flow tests given to him by work and he tested himself at home and it was negative, then had it done at the covid testing centre and that was positive. So not much faith in lateral flow!

OP posts:
davidsSchitt · 29/01/2021 22:16

"Click and collect at my local Tesco is very low risk anyway"

Oh well, the workers there won't mind being knowingly exposed.

You all need to isolate. Which means staying at home, completely.

CrocodilesCry · 30/01/2021 00:23

You should get a call from Test and Trace anyway OP, and if you do they will be ringing you throughout your self-isolation to check you're staying at home.

Lifeispassingby · 30/01/2021 04:46

There has been no close contact with BIL in the 48hrs prior to his symptoms so you don’t think you need to isolate. However you have been in his house which you weren’t supposed to be so that changes the situation somewhat doesn’t it?

Lifeispassingby · 30/01/2021 04:49

Sorry pressed send too early! You don’t technically need to isolate as you hadn’t had close contact but you were in his house so that increased your risk so if I were you although you don’t have to isolate I would do so just to be safe

Lifeispassingby · 30/01/2021 04:51

@Tiredmum100 but she doesn’t need to isolate. She hasn’t had close contact with anyone in the 48hrs before the symptoms. Her sister doesn’t have symptoms it’s her bil who has symptoms and she hasn’t had close contact with him

davidsSchitt · 30/01/2021 06:21

@Lifeispassingby yes she does. She was sat in his house for who knows how long, she's in his bubble. That means they are treated as one household. They all have to isolate.

It's all clearly laid out on the government website. Nobody should be going shopping whilst isolating or leaving the house

WitchesBritchesPumpkinPants · 30/01/2021 06:36

It's beyond bonkers that people are so confused about the rules this far into the pandemic.

If people want to take advantage of bubbles, they need to be prepared to take the disadvantages of it too.

@samanthawashington

I'm sure one of the Covid volunteers will collect it for you

I hope the rest of you don't get it, especially DN. It's not inevitable so your Dsis & dbro need to take precautions to try to avoid it.

Iamtooknackeredtorun · 30/01/2021 06:46

I think you may be getting hung up on the just a quick hello point. Presumably if he has tested positive there is a risk they surfaces in the house and even your sister also run a risk of transmitting the virus to you.

How long were you in the house in total? How close were you to your sister? Did you touch surfaces etc?

I think there must be a nexus between the positive test and contact. For example I'm in a support bubble but haven't seen them since Christmas. If one of them tests positive today it would be a nonsense for us all to self isolate for ten days. Your contact is on the day of the positive test and therefore, whether he was symptomatic or not, there's a risk and you should take precautions.

joystir59 · 30/01/2021 06:53

It's why I won't be getting tested if I feel unwell or if my support bubble tests positive. I don't get paid for self isolating and I'm not risking the financial wellbeing of my household. Sorry but that's the harsh reality.

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