I’ve been asked to self isolate? How??

[TigerLils]

I’ve just got a message and mail from the NHS asking to self isolate for 10 days. I’m absolutely fine, had a PCR test done on Tuesday (day 2 after arriving back to the UK) and that can back negative. All my lateral flow tests, everything is negative. Can I get a test done to get out of the 10 day isolation?

If there's been a message and email I'm thinking this is track and trace contacting you (as opposed to the app), and they have your details because someone has given your details as a close contact. Therefore it is someone who knows you well enough to have your phone number and email address. Work colleague? Family member? Recent travel abroad is irrelevant, completely separate thing. You should isolate for the period stated.

This - I doubt it is to do with your recent holiday. If it is 10 days isolation it suggests someone you have come into contact with very recently.

It’ll be the train or your office. They’ve pretty hot on planes generally.

It sucks, but you’re not the first and you won’t be the last. It’s just bad luck. Work will likely courier your laptop to you so you can carry on from home.

If it's an email and text rather than a ping from the app wouldn't that mean that someone had given OPs details rather than a random on a train?

It can take 10-14 days after a positive contact to develop symptoms/ Covid so your negative tests are not a freedom pass.

@TigerLils

I really don’t think it’s from travelling on the plane … it’s been over 5 days since my flight back. Surely if I picked it up there they would have contacted me sooner, not letting me roam around for 5 days (not that I have been going anywhere than work)

Um no. I worked for t & t. I used to do flight investigations. Index case comes home, feels ill 2 days later. Takes test and comes back 24hrs (or more later). Contact tracer asks index where they were 48 hours before symptom onset. Flight details need to be obtained and persons contacted. So 5 days is about right. That said the fact that you need to do 10 days from now would suggest that it isn't a flight contact but the isolation length may well have changed. I don't work there any more as I was on a secondment.

That’s nuts ( I am not questioning if you are correct or not don’t get me wrong!)
I’m this case pretty much anyone who has been out and about will have to isolate at some point ?! On a plane, train, popping to the shops, whatever…

The text and email will be from test and trace so a legal requirement. I had this when my name was given as a close contact. So as pp mentioned it must be from someone you know x

It most likely be your office, no-one on the train would know your email and phone no. it must be someone that knows both of them, could also be the flight as they would know this

How on earth can a ‘flight investigation’ take 5 days? (Not attacking the PP, but whoever set up this useless system btw.)

PCR tests when coming from abroad should be given back within 12 hours. They cost insane amounts of money for a reason. PLFs in most countries include flight number and seat details - if the info is digitalised it shouldn’t take more than another 12h to contact everyone affected. 3 days I understand, but 5+ days to contact trace people from a plane?

No wonder the UK keeps going on about importing cases from abroad and how much travel is contributing to the rise of cases. If there was a proper system in place, that wouldn’t be the case. 5 days…

@TigerLils

Really? There is no PCR test I could take? Nothing ?

Nope. You’ve got to isolate for 10 days. Regardless of negative tests.

The whole point is that you could have negative pcr tests. Then test positive on the 9th day. So that’s why they don’t want you taking a test. Thinking your negative and going off.

It’s more likely you were in contact with someone since being home, if it was on the plane you would have been asked to isolate for ten days since last contact so would have been only 5 days isolation (if you flew 5 days ago).

You will just have to work from home if you can, sadly many others are in the same position. The only way to stop it from happening again is by deleting the app from your phone (which I have done).

Can you call a coworker and ask if they have heard anything? If it was someone at work, and you rock up regardless it will be pretty obvious you are breaking the rules. But, if someone at work tested positive then others will be in the same boat, so they might be able to help you out with the laptop or working from home.

My husband had a very similar issue. He came back from an amber country and on day 5 he was contacted by email and text asking to self-isolate. He called 119 to clarify and was told that he was close contact to someone on his flight and needed to self-isolate for 10 days FROM THE DATE OF HIS FLIGHT (which was not stated in messages). Note he had booked a PCR test to release AFTER he returned back (yes, you can do this after your flight, as long as you fill in a new PLF). His test came back negative. He also had his 8 day PCR test, which came back negative on day 9. He was called on every single day by NHS T&T and also from local council(!) to be reminded that he still needed to self-isolate for 10 days despite the negative PCR tests. I'm sorry OP, but you cannot do anything - you need to self-isolate whatever testing you do. However, you could possibly call 119 to check what day you came in contact with the positive case.

The thing is though, I can do about 40% of my work from home but not everything… not all the jobs can be done from home. So I’m fucked

@Lovemusic33 you can still be traced by phe without the app. Your details might be given as a close contact.

@TigerLils where have you been the last 18months?

Tell them your name is Boris Johnson, then you won’t need to isolate 😇

@TigerLils

The thing is though, I can do about 40% of my work from home but not everything… not all the jobs can be done from home. So I’m fucked

Your work should realise that people are going to have to self isolate and have policies in place.

@TigerLils

That’s nuts ( I am not questioning if you are correct or not don’t get me wrong!)
I’m this case pretty much anyone who has been out and about will have to isolate at some point ?! On a plane, train, popping to the shops, whatever…

If you have the app then yes. Had you honestly not realised that possibility after all this time? It's why i never had the app at all.

@TigerLils

That’s nuts ( I am not questioning if you are correct or not don’t get me wrong!) I’m this case pretty much anyone who has been out and about will have to isolate at some point ?! On a plane, train, popping to the shops, whatever…

Well, not if you’ve got the app switched off.

If it was from a random stranger on the train, how would Test and Trace know you were there and then know your email address and mobile number?

It’s probably the plane if it’s 5 days ago, likely a person who you flew with had a positive result on the return to uk PCR. Especially if they didn’t do it straight away

I’ve just got a message and mail from the NHS asking to self isolate for 10 days.

It should be 10 days from the point of contact. If you have been asked to isolate for 10 days that implies the contact was within the last 24 hrs (which would astonish me - I don't know anyone who has been contacted that fast).

We are quarantining until tomorrow after flying back from an Amber Country. However we have also had a test and trace but they won’t tell me where.
Has to have been on the plane because - Quarantine
Glad I did buy a stupidly over priced day 5 test to release because I wouldn’t have been allowed to use it. My day 2 test came back negative on day 5 and I very much doubt my day 8 test will be back before we are released Tomorrow. We are also getting 2 calls a day now
Whole system is stupid

You have to isolate for the 10 days as you will have been contacted due to being a close contact of positive case, probably yesterday. You won’t be the first or last person from your work to have this so contact them, see if someone can send your laptop over by taxi, and ask how this has worked for other people isolating. 1 in 3 people contacted by track and trace (as opposed to the app) are developing covid shortly after so it is important legally and medically that you isolate I’m afraid.
Loads of people are having to isolate at the minute as cases are so high, current guidance might change if you’re double jabbed in a few weeks.

If it’s the full 10 days, that narrows it down massively. So, where were you yesterday?