So has rules changed or have it had it wrong the whole time

[jenkel]

My mum has been in close contact with somebody who is poorly and has tested positive for covid, they were fine when she was with them on Sunday, she was at their house for about half a day and had a meal with them,, poorly on Monday and tested positive yesterday, she is fine and has done a lateral flow test and it’s negative. I thought that meant that she needed to self isolate for 10 days from Sunday, she spoke to 111 and apparently she doesn’t need to as she hasn’t been contacted by track and trace.

On the other hand my dd is home from school for the next week as somebody In her year group bubble has covid, this is about the 7th time this has happened.

Have I had it wrong all along, does it sound right that my Mum does not need to self isolate or has it all just changed.

Morally she needs to isolate but legally you don't have to unless notified by test and trace (or by a school who do their own contact tracing).

Has the person given your mum's details to test and trace? Legally she doesn't need to isolate until told to do so by T&T but she could be spreading the virus about if she doesn't

She should isolate under the guidelines because she is a close contact with someone who has COVID in the window of risk that starts 2 days before they showed symptoms/tested positive:

Anyone who has had any of the following types of contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19:

• face-to-face contact including being coughed on or having a face-to-face conversation within one metre
• been within one metre for one minute or longer without face-to-face contact
• been within 2 metres of someone for more than 15 minutes (either as a one-off contact, or added up together over one day)

Legally, she doesn't have to because she hasn't been told to self isolate by Track and Trace.

Presumably the friend has reported the positive LFT or had a PCR? In that case, as long as she tells them your DM is a close contact or your DM had the app on when she was there, she will probably be told to isolate by T&T.

If the friend hasn't notified anyone, your DM won't be told to self isolate even though she should The system isn't fit for purpose really.

I have no idea if friend has notified track and trace, but friend has told mum that she is positive. I agree that morally she should but she is adamant that she doesn’t need too and that 111 has told her she only needs to self isolate if she is told to by track and trace and up to now she hasn’t heard anything.

Here's the guidance:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-contacts-of-people-with-possible-or-confirmed-coronavirus-covid-19-infection-who-do-not-live-with-the-person/guidance-for-contacts-of-people-with-possible-or-confirmed-coronavirus-covid-19-infection-who-do-not-live-with-the-person

She does need to self isolate under the guidelines. The problem is, 111 can't and won't tell her to self isolate, regardless of the guidelines, unless the system has identified her as a close contact, which relies on her having used the app correctly (ie both she and her friend had their phone on their person when they were in contact, not in a handbag or a different room etc) and/or her friend naming her as a close contact. If she hasn't been told to self isolate by T&T, it also means she wouldn't be eligible for the self-isolating payment and/or cause problems if her employer won't let her take time off etc.