LFT's and Isolation

[Thunderpunt]

Have I misunderstood something? Kids went back to school and had to do LFTs twice weekly, I thought to enable them to stay in school in the event of a positive test.
So this has been done religiously (catholic school ) and yet this evening I've had an email to say close contact of DS has tested positive on a LFT so he and other close contacts have to self isolate. I understood that the idea was that DS carried on doing LFT but stayed in school until and unless he tested positive. No end date set for isolation period as yet, but does say he must SI while awaiting the PCR test result of suspected case. And then what? If she's positive does DS continue to SI?

There are some areas where trials are taking place to have pupils do daily LFTs instead of isolating when they have been in contact with a positive case.

But everywhere else, the LFTs are only used to pick up asymptomatic cases, so if you are a close contact of someone who tests positive then you have to isolate. If the PCR comes back positive as well, your DS will be given an end date for the isolation (which will be 10 days from either the close contact's positive LFT or the start of their symptoms - if symptomatic - whichever is earlier).

If person gets a positive PCR then your child will continue isolating until 10 days when she was last in contact with her. There were some trials keeping children in school, but with the new more transmissible variant, it’s back to isolating for 10 days, unless PCR comes back negative.

The LTF are to pick up covid cases in those who aren’t displaying any symptoms to not overuse isolation rules.

Would you be happy working shoulder to shoulder with someone maskless indoors with no windows open who have been a close contact?

dont worry too much

data out today shows 60% of positive lft in school are later found to be negative on pcr so he may end up back in class by monday

I wouldn’t bother doing them anymore if I were you.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9699303/Hugely-disruptive-Test-Trace-schools-axed-60-positive-results-negative.html

Ah ok thanks - I thought the whole point of LFT was to avoid students having to miss school unnecessarily. Presumably if she tests positive on her PCS -DS will have to isolate regardless of negative tests.
Interestingly the student concerned wasn't picked up on an asymptomatic test, she started feeling unwell yesterday at school and then tested, her previous LFT on Wednesday was negative

that was the original plan, it was never put in to place. Lf's give too many false negatives for it to work.

If sje's positive on a pcr ds will have to self isolate for 10 days from last contact, he can have a pcr as a close contact but if negative he still has to self isolate. Everybody else in the house can continue unless he tests positive or gets symptoms.

Hi @thunderpunt you are right that was the plan. It was quietly dropped. LFT are now just to pick up asymptomatic cases and slow the spread. As soon as the pupil gets the result of the pcr it will either be positive in which case your son will need to isolate - dates will be from last contact and the school will inform you. Or it will be negative and you all go back to school.

Do carry on doing the LFT. They do pick up cases which would otherwise go undetected.