I feel like a close contact...

[Scarby9]

...but I suspect it is just because I have got used to being so distant to people for so long.
Yesterday I was in a room 6m × 4m with two colleagues for 2 hours. The window and internal door were open. When I was within 1m of either colleague, I put my mask on, but none of us had masks on when further apart. The other two people are together in that room 8-5ish every day, no masks but seated 3m apart.

One of them felt ill yesterday afternoon and had a positive LFT, now awaiting PCR result. She says only her family are her close contacts but no-one at work.

But to me I feel like a contact. It is only recently we have removed masks at work, and only yesterday we have got closer than 2m other than fleetingly. So it feels almost risky behaviour after so long! I suspect she is right about the definition of close contact, but I feel I need to wait to visit my vulnerable parents, for example.

Any thoughts?

It's all so complicated isn't it?

And my colleague and all her family have now had notification of positive PCRs. So it is now an actual, rather than potential, dilemma.

I think I am going to continue to isolate whatever Test and Trace say. Working from home is no real problem, thankfully.

Incidentally, I work in a school but the isolation rules for those of us based in offices are different from class teachers.
Our offices are laid out strictly to the 2m spacing minimum and windows open rules, to try to miinimise risk. But we are still together for hours at a time, using the phone and Zoom and eating without masks, although we are all scrupulous in masking up and keeping it short when we need to get closer to one another. Hence the wondering.

I remember one of the scientists talking about the magic 2 metres, people were touting it as if you were perfectly safe in a bubble if you were 2 metres apart, whereas in reality it just reduces your risk a bit.

You are being v sensible staying home 👍🏻

My so called 'covid safe' office saw the staff drop like flies. It started at one end of the room and worked its way through like dominoes. That 2m nonsense is... nonsense when you are sat in a room all day with no ventilation. Out and about 2m is an excellent defence where interaction is fleeting

I agree @Northernsoullover. There has to be a cumulative effect that strays over that magic invisible 2m line.
Anyway, I'm home and staying here. Ten days.