Rock and a hard place - fucking runny noses

[SpringheelJack]

Nursery have told us that they won't accept kids with ANY symptoms at all unless they have a negative PCR. On the one hand, I am understand this - runny nose is a fairly common symptom of Delta variant - indeed we all had Covid three weeks ago and the kids both started with runny noses. On the other hand, toddlers are basically runny noses with personalities attached. They always have fucking runny noses! DD2 still has the runny nose she developed when Covid happened.

So what do I do? I could swab them both every fucking Sunday. But right now we're in the 90 day post infection window -but I've no idea if nursery are going to accept that. I could order the home test wave the swab in the air and post it off - but I've no idea what sort of result you get if you do that. I could do the actual swab - but I can't trust a positive result and the government guidance says not to do one unless you have new symptoms, so I'm not fucking isolating whatever it says! I feel like I'm setting myself up there for a false positive and two more fucking weeks with them off nursery for a result we all know is unreliable. And let's not forget that the government, in their infinite wisdom, are still sticking to the same three original symptoms - so I already have to lie in order to book a fucking PCR for a runny nose.

If you order PCR home tests (just so I'm ready) are they going to chase me for a result if the nursery say they're happy with the 90 guidance? Will the website even let me order one if it's within 90 days of a previous infection? Or will it want to know if it's new symptoms? Which I'm already lying about because I have to pretend it's one of the three symptoms, not the nursery-mandated ones? 🤯

I'm so done with this shit. My head's a mess, my kids have been to nursery one week out of the past five and my work performance is as you would expect given that. They're all disrupted and we're back to tears at drop-off for the little one. And I understand it! I understand why we need to do all this shit! But I also can't cope with much more of it.

I understand, it’s so shit. Agree on runny noses, DS’s snottiness only cleared up when he was off with chickenpox 😅

You need to email nursery & state that as you’ve all recently had covid, following guidance it means that tests may be inconclusive or false positive.

Dear nursery,

Attached is proof the children had Covid on X date. In line with government guidance for educational settings (“individuals are exempt from testing by both PCR and LFD within 90 days of a positive PCR test unless they develop new symptoms”), we will not retest them for 90 days, i.e. until Y date.

Best,
@SpringheelJack

I've emailed them. Fingers fucking crossed.

@MRex any chance you could link to the gov.uk guidance? I need this for my year 9 DS as don’t want him to test before he goes back in September (it’s within 90 days of a +ve test)

Lemons1571
It's really hard to find! The only thing I could find on the official government pages was directed at residential/care homes advising them how to deal with an outbreak. There doesn't seem to be anything generic aimed at the public - at least not that I could see. Although obviously the same issue will apply.

The news report was on 10th Feb here: schoolsweek.co.uk/covid-testing-in-schools-dfe-aligns-advice-with-nhs-following-confusion/amp/. I think the guidance was updated on 11th Feb. Could be anywhere, try here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak#history.

I was told on the phone by test and trace that I could not apply for a PCR within 90 days. They were very clear about this.

DS has asthma and if he gets a virus the cough often lasts weeks, his setting accept the one PCR test at the onset of symptoms and only need a new one if he stops coughing for a period and then starts again. Do they not accept its a continuous runny nose? Guessing not, I can see why they're being cautious, but as you say, for many toddlers they'll never be in!

Sorry I misread, I saw that they tested positive 3 weeks ago so had a positive test and the issue is that they won't let them back without a negative PCR (which they probably won't get for a while due to them being positive for x weeks after infection). Ignore my post, sorry.

I think I'm over-stressing myself but the pat few weeks have been: nursery closed because of an actual case, us off for two weeks because we all had Covid, one week there, then nursery closed because too many staff got pinged.

I work in university admissions and A-level results are looming. I just want to know that I can drop this snotty kid off and be able to function for the next few weeks. Panicking myself about what they MIGHT say isn't helping, but it's been a rough few weeks - leading up to an intense few weeks - and I just want to feel reassured that at least next week is likely to go as normal. Instead I'm having mental arguments about 90 days and how long we've been enjoying this snot-storm.

@Iknowtheanswer

I was told on the phone by test and trace that I could not apply for a PCR within 90 days. They were very clear about this.

they bloody need to help people in this situation then. Similarly people who've had covid recently are going to struggle to travel abroad if the test still shows up as positive. But if they've just had covid, they are extremely unlikely to get it again.