Do I need to isolate?

[samanthawashington]

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?

I presume you are a single adult household and that's why you have been able to form a bubble?

Please isolate op, and don't go shopping, even click and collect.

I'm heavily pregnant and recently tested positive, despite being extremely cautious and never bending the rules.

We couldn't get a delivery slot for sainsbury's, but got our shopping via coop, who do same day home delivery. You can also get groceries on deliveroo.

You’ve got to follow the guidelines. If it’s the Kent strain that they think is highly contagious then you could well be at risk, and you mustn’t put others at risk. Phone customer services, explain the situation, and see if they’ll help you out.

Honestly, I think we need to go a little further than the guidelines in some cases.
Even if 'technically' you didn't come within two metres of him @samanthawashington you should isolate even if you are not contacted by track and trace.

2m is an arbitrary amount of space and not everyone agrees. The new strain is more transmissible and you have potentially been infected.
Let's get away from this is 'technically' within the rules and all that crap and act as responsible people who don't want to pass this on to other people.
To expose other people is stupid and dangerous for the sake of a click and collect that someone else can probably help with.

I'd be thinking about the test results? Is it picking up traces of vaccine ....who knows.

On the isolation front, no idea.

The virus spreads through the air, and you are very infectious in the two days before you get symptoms. If you've been indoors with someone who tests positive or their household members then yes, you need to isolate because you could very easily be infected yourself.

If someone in your household tests positive you isolate. If you’re in a support bubble with someone you’re the same household so you need to isolate. Close contact or not is irrelevant as you’re in a bubble with them.

You keep saying he was fine then and didn't get ill until later like it makes a difference. The guidance includes 48 hours BEFORE symptoms for a reason. I saw someone the night before I felt poorly and passed it on to them.

If there is no one else then get your shopping, keeping distance, as outside transmission is so unlikely, and also unlikely you are infectious yet, but otherwise bloody isolate.

People will disagree with me but the chances of passing it on in that way are so minimal. It doesn't leap into you like headlice. You need a level of viral load for infection.

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

Irrelevant. Unless the OP hovered in mid-air whilst not breathing she is a close contact and needs to isolate.

I can’t imagine having been in the same house as someone only a few hours before they tested positive and NOT self isolating. Why wouldn’t you?

Also you haven’t, I don’t think, answered the question of why / how you’re in a bubble with your sister and family. I totally understand why you want to be, especially if your nephew has disabilities and life is very hard for him / your sister, but it doesn’t sound like you should be in a bubble together. I think most of us wish we could bubble with family to make life easier and more pleasant.

@joystir59

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.

You're part of the problem! You could go on to infect others, possibly kill them, and are so blasé about it. Those people you work with could get really sick and multiple people will then lose money that you're so reluctant to lose.

But screw their circumstances and health, as long as you're ok

@davidsSchitt the guidance for bubbles is the same as all. Other PP have quoted it here already but here it is again (just the relevant parts to the OP)
^You need to self isolate for 10 days 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^
They are not one household, the OP did not have close contact with someone with symptoms in the 48hrs prior to symptoms starting so does not need to isolate. I did say however due to being in the house then if it were me I would isolate just in case but she doesn’t have to

@SingANewSongChickenTikka the guidance doesn’t say that. Even in a bubble you only isolate if you are close contact in the 48hrs prior to symptoms (or a test of no symptoms present)

@Lifeispassingby you're wrong. You're not understanding what is meant by a contact.

But screw their circumstances and health, as long as you're ok hmm
My circumstances are important too. I'm minimum wage, and I've worked throughout and I'm I'm off sick i don't get sick pay. I don't take risks and look after and protect an elderly relative. I will not get tested voluntarily and do I will not need to self isolate or lose money. Tell the government to pay me to self isolate otherwise I'm not doing it.

"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."

Awful. You'll knowingly go out to work when you're supposed to isolate, I'd hate to be your colleague.

They do though @joystir59

You would qualify for the £500 wouldn’t you?

Here are the details @joystir59

www.gov.uk/government/publications/test-and-trace-support-payment-scheme-claiming-financial-support/claiming-financial-support-under-the-test-and-trace-support-payment-scheme

Why were they in your support bubble? I thought tbere had to be a reason. Is your sister unwell ? Is it a childcare bubble.

You need to isolate - your sister may be asymptomatic but still shedding the virus. You were in their house im assuming you toucjed things?

I really hope you don't get it, its fucking grim. We had it over Christmas , had to rely on friends to get shopping. I couldn't see my daughter , despite the fact that my mum died on 18th dec and we really needed to see each other. My DP doesnt receive sick pay, we lost three weeks money. I caught it from work despite full PPE.

"Tell the government to pay me to self isolate otherwise I'm not doing it."

That is vile.

They won't pay you as you own your own home outright and you have savings.

So losing your part time NMW for a few days will be worse than infecting who knows how many people when you're in the perfect position to prevent it.

For people that would actually be propelled into financial hardship by having a week off work they can apply to the scheme a pp linked to.

@davidsSchitt
What does close contact mean?
Examples of close contact include:
close face to face contact (under 1 metre) for any length of time – including talking to them or coughing on them
being within 1 to 2 metres of each other for more than 15 minutes – including travelling in a small vehicle

@davidsSchitt I don’t make the rules, I don’t even necessarily agree with them (as I said if was the OP I would isolate) but they are what they are

It was shared down thread. And it's on the nhs website.

The OP spending the time she did in his home that day is enough for her to be a close contact. If you form a bubble and spend time in each other's houses then you have to be prepared to isolate when necessary.

"I don’t make the rules"

I know you don't and the "rules" you've been posting aren't accurate. The OP is required to isolate

You’ve been in his house in the 48 hours before so this is close contact. If they wheeled the patients out of a covid ward would you go willingly sit in it and consider yourself low risk?

Your sister could have it with no symptoms- it could be her that gave it to him. You could have it with no symptoms.

That Tesco driver could get it from you and not realise for 3 days and spread it to 40 other customers and their families along with 20 other Tesco staff and their families.

@joystir59

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.

And this is an example of why we will be stuck in this mess forever