Current rules on isolation are counter-productive

[Warhertisuff]

I can't be the only one who isn't doing lateral flow tests or overlooking mild symptoms because of the consequences to, not just my family, but the school community.

For instance, last week my 9 year old son had a headache and sore throat... nothing serious and a good night's sleep meant he was well enough to go to school the following day, and he was fine in the days ahead. I didn't do a LFT or get him tested as, had he been positive, he, and his entire year group, would have missed the last 10 days of school, with all the activities and end of year shows etc.

I took the view that the possible damage caused by him having Covid - if he indeed did have it which he probably didn't - and passing to other children (and other adults who largely would have had the chance to have been vaccinated) was less than having the end of the school year ruined for everyone.

If the rules were similar for other illnesses, which I'd argue they can be now that vaccines have made the impact of Covid more like the flu, then more people would take common sense precautions about keeping their kids off school if unwell.

@AwaAnBileYerHeid

You've actually really annoyed me. If one of your DC or their close family members were clinically extremely vulnerable to covid, would you be happy with a parent acting the way you've acted?

The OP doesn't give two shits! As long as her 'snowflake' has the best last week in school!

@Warhertisuff
if he was tested you would know through. Now you dont and if in the next through weeks cases in your area explode you will not know if you were the cause of this. You will not know if the resulting deaths and serious illnesses are down to you.

Yes the rest of the class would be isolating some of who may develop symptoms that without isolating they would spread to others in the area.
At the moment drink driving is illegal in the UK (if you thought that this rule/law was silly and that it could be changed in a few weeks still makes deliberately drink driving today stupid, irresponsible and currently illegal. yes there is every chance drink driving wouldn't result in you killing someone but that not the point the point is that action could kill someone.
you think there is a good chance your child is positive but sending them to school anyway is crazy and I hope you end up feeling responsible and guilty for any deaths your actions cause

Spread it to CEV children in the school, ruin other families holidays that they plan at the end of term when they now get positive PCR results before they fly etc
You continue thinking you were a hero who saved the whole class from missing out in the last week of school.
There was an outbreak in our school in the last week, presumably because people were doing the same as you, school is now closed but still having to do massive amounts of contact tracing and now we are just waiting to see if my child who is CEV will come down with covid as a result of some people just sending their kids on into school.
Many schools now have sent out an extended list of symptoms for the delta variant in children to be tested for.

"Some of you may die, but it's a risk I'm willing to take"

LFTs are unreliable and not for children under 11.

@Cookiecrisps

I work in a school and we’ve been told that because we signed up to LFT in April, we are required to take them and log them twice a week throughout the summer holidays. A lot of staff are doing this to protect others within their school community so I fail to see why others can’t do the same.

Consent can be withdrawn at any time.

Our school are not expecting children to test using their lateral flow tests again until the Sunday before they go back.

I'm with you OP. No need for PCR as not Covid symptoms.

OP, you are being a dickhead. I sincerely hope your child did not have covid and did not spread it to others. But don't encourage others to agree with you. You are irresponsible and shortsighted.

@NotSoLongGoodbye
But the OP thinks it is covid and has sent anyway which is a world of difference to never considering covid as no symptoms.
And the OP has said several times that she doesn't care about others only that her child doesn't miss the end of year school activities

@NotSoLongGoodbye

I'm with you OP. No need for PCR as not Covid symptoms.

Our school have recently advised that the symptoms for this new variant are not specifically as listed before and are exactly as your son had - headache, sore throat but also can be runny nose, temperature, sickness. They have also had lots of positive cases that were dismissed as summer cold or hayfever. Essentially they advised that it was so prevalent that kids should not attend at all if ill in any way and to get a PCR.

But OP's point is not about whether what she did is right or wrong, it's about the fact that the rules as they stand were the reason she decided to take the risk. And it seems like a lot of people are choosing to do the same.

If the rules were more proportionate to the current context these same people might make different choices.

@SilverGlitterBaubles
but you still can't get a PCR test where I am unless you have the main 3 symptoms or told to by pubic health. DS was told to get a test as close contact of positive case, DH decided to try and get a test too as he had headache, sore throat, fatigue and system wouldn't let us book unless he lied and said he had a fever.

[quote Covidworries]@NotSoLongGoodbye
But the OP thinks it is covid and has sent anyway which is a world of difference to never considering covid as no symptoms.
And the OP has said several times that she doesn't care about others only that her child doesn't miss the end of year school activities[/quote]
I didn't think it was Covid, simply that it might have been, but then again having no symptoms is also a symptom of Covid!...

@Warhertisuff
Bull

Just crack on, OP, like most people are in real life.

[quote Covidworries]@NotSoLongGoodbye
But the OP thinks it is covid and has sent anyway which is a world of difference to never considering covid as no symptoms.
And the OP has said several times that she doesn't care about others only that her child doesn't miss the end of year school activities[/quote]
I've said precisely the opposite! One of the reasons was NOT to spoil the end of term. If he had Covid and I had got a PCR, it would have ruined it for EVERYONE, not just my son. At least what I did gave them a chance... If other parents also just treated their children's symptoms as they would any other illness, it would be no big deal and disruption would be minimised, and we wouldn't be prolonging through agony for everyone by delaying the inevitable.

Oh my god you are thick....
Can you not see how stupid that sounds so instead of finding out if its positive you send him to school possibly positive. Can you not see that spreading covid further to his classmates and school is going to ruin more than the last week of term activities

@Cookiedough123

I am a teacher and on my first week of isolation after testing positive. I am pretty poorly right now. I would be so angry if I found out I caught this because of a parents selfishness.

My DD 7 and myself (school staff) both tested positive last week

DD only symptoms lethargy and loss of appetite/ change to taste

I have been very unwell and I am double vaccinated.

You are selfish because if he had been positive and spread it by the time someone more responsible than you had tested positive it could have made them ill and ruined any holiday plans they had

I do not wish covid on anyone

[quote NotSoLongGoodbye]@SilverGlitterBaubles
but you still can't get a PCR test where I am unless you have the main 3 symptoms or told to by pubic health. DS was told to get a test as close contact of positive case, DH decided to try and get a test too as he had headache, sore throat, fatigue and system wouldn't let us book unless he lied and said he had a fever.[/quote]
Agreed that the symptoms very much need to be updated by the NHS but then perhaps that's deliberate or they would be swamped or I suspect the government are happy for it to run rife among kids.

Regardless the OP obviously had some concerns and was aware that this was a possibility or she wouldn't have mentioned it. She could have erred on the side of caution and at the very least done a LF test or kept him off a day or two and had a test. The point is if her DS was actually positive she didn't want to know and she didn't give two hoots about the impact of this on others.

@Warhertisuff

Ah yes who cares if others get ill, so long as your child doesn't miss out on the end of year activities.

They would all miss out.... the year group sent home.

Continuing to treat Covid in the way we did pre-vaccine is disproportionate.

You willl ruin their holidays instead if they test positive

I'd have done the same as would many many others but they're not on MN

You are reckless and refuse to care about or understand the consequences of your actions.

The whole testing programme is still in place because it isn't safe for covid to go through society. So we need to test and isolate cases as much as possible. Clearly, you don't agree with isolation of close contacts. But it is currently the law. It is the law because the balance of public health and politics say it is necessary.

Also no thoughts for parents or others who have to test regularly for work, for travel or awaiting hospital treatment. The OPs actions may have saved the end of term but possibly responsible for wider spread in the community means people can't go to work, teachers are off isolating, nurses and doctors can't go to work people's treatments can't go ahead.

@hamstersarse

You were always going to get slaughtered for this op but anyone who thinks this isn’t going on has lost touch with reality

So it’s happening, people are doing this.

Instead of entrenching yourself further in the “stick to the rules you selfish bastard” approach, it’s probably time to change the rules to something more realistic and manageable for most normal people.

You're right.

Lots of people are doing this.

It's possibly why there is currently very high numbers of covid cases in schools and we are heading through another wave.

Makes you wonder what would happen if people didn't decide they were above the rules and guidance and decide what they thought was best for others eh?

At least what I did gave them a chance

A chance of what? Potentially catching or spreading covid?