Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

Must we isolate with him?

35 replies

Bloodycovid19 · 30/07/2021 21:27

Adult DC lives with us. On his way back from holiday but did a LFT this morning and it was positive. We haven't seen him for a week. He has his own floor in the house (top floor) and own bathroom on that floor. If he comes in and goes straight up there and stays there do DP and I also need to isolate?

OP posts:
Original poster
Bloodycovid19 · 30/07/2021 21:31

UK holiday btw so no hotel quarantine needed.

OP posts:
SecretKeeper1 · 30/07/2021 21:37

I would say no, as he effectively has a self contained apartment. Can you sort him out a kettle and some mugs up there, and leave meals outside the door for him?

Original poster
Bloodycovid19 · 30/07/2021 21:39

That would be the plan.

OP posts:
latissimusdorsi · 30/07/2021 21:47

You are not classed as a contact as he hasn't been near you this week As long as you do not come into contact with him within the house then you won't have to isolate

fucksat50 · 30/07/2021 21:49

Yes you need to isolate

Polkadotties · 30/07/2021 21:50

No you are not a close contact so you don’t need to

Original poster
Bloodycovid19 · 30/07/2021 21:54

Why, fucksat50?

OP posts:
Pootles34 · 30/07/2021 21:57

Has he got a PCR booked? I would tend to agree that you've not been near him so it'll be fine.

Original poster
Bloodycovid19 · 30/07/2021 21:58

Going to book when he gets here, but I thing LFTs rarely give a false positive.

OP posts:
GrrRightBackAtYou · 30/07/2021 21:59

Presumably you will be taking food up to the top floor and bringing dishes back down so yes you should isolate. It’s not like he’s in a separate building.

clickychicky · 30/07/2021 21:59

That sounds like a self contained flat to me. Maybe move the kettle and microwave up there.

SueSaid · 30/07/2021 22:06

How will he eat, wash up etc?!

Honestly some people have always thought they are special cases. If he is positive and he lives at the same address as you then yes you need to isolate regardless of how may ensuites you have.

Original poster
Bloodycovid19 · 30/07/2021 22:08

This is not clear cut, which is why I have asked. You do not know me, or whether I consider myself to be a special case.

OP posts:
Lindy2 · 30/07/2021 22:10

You do need to all isolate once he enters your home as you will be living together in the same house.

It's not a self contained flat he lives in it's a bedroom and bathroom in a house that you all live in.

I assume you are going on to that floor of your house to take him food, check on him etc. You'll be handling cutlery he's used and breathing in the same air on that floor of the house.

DH isolated in a separate bedroom with an en suite before he tested positive. He knew a colleague had tested positive. I still caught it from him - probably caught by bringing food to his door and washing up his plates.

That was the Kent variant. Delta is even more contagious.

The rules are quite clear, if you live with someone who has Covid you isolate.

Lotsachocolateplease · 30/07/2021 22:11

Can he self contain up in the top floor? Own bathroom so access to water - can he wash up there? Does he have a fridge or can one be bought? If he can totally self contain, without you having to take plates away to be washed, (get paper plates!) then I think you don’t need to self isolate
But if he’s going to be popping into the kitchen for snacks, going into the garden for fresh air, opening the front door for parcels and takeaways then you’re effectively sharing a house and do you would need to isolate.

mswales · 30/07/2021 22:11

LFTs do give false positives, he definitely needs PCR test

Willow4987 · 30/07/2021 22:12

I don’t think you do

Recently DS1 came into contact with a positive case at nursery so had to isolate. We were explicitly told by nursery (who were told by test and trace) that no other household members had to isolate unless we developed symptoms or received a positive test ourselves

While that sounds completely mental (especially as toddlers can’t exactly isolate from the rest of the household) they are the rules.

We did actually isolate the whole household to be on the safe side, but according to test and trace we weren’t legally obliged to.

In your situation you won’t be in direct contact with him so I personally wouldn’t isolate

Lindy2 · 30/07/2021 22:12

@clickychicky

That sounds like a self contained flat to me. Maybe move the kettle and microwave up there.
A self contained flat would have a separate front door and a kitchen.

What OP is describing is just a normal floor of a normal house.

Willow4987 · 30/07/2021 22:13

Sorry to be clear…I don’t think you do need to isolate unless he has a positive PCR. In which case yes you would isolate.

I’d get a PCR asap

SueSaid · 30/07/2021 22:14

'You do need to all isolate once he enters your home as you will be living together in the same house.It's not a self contained flat he lives in it's a bedroom and bathroom in a house that you all live in.'

But it's kind of self contained as it's on the third floor y'see. Maybe the op could pop a takeaway on the self contained staircase 🙄.

Terminallysleepdeprived · 30/07/2021 22:15

LFT quite often give false positive...far more than is officially reported. He needs a PCR test to confirm.

But if you haven't had contact in last 10 days then no need to isolate.

SueSaid · 30/07/2021 22:19

@Terminallysleepdeprived

LFT quite often give false positive...far more than is officially reported. He needs a PCR test to confirm.

But if you haven't had contact in last 10 days then no need to isolate.

They give false negatives, not false positives

He needs a pcr to confirm and they all need to isolate once he is in the same address.

Alternista · 30/07/2021 22:21

If he has running water up there I’d nip out to the 24 hour tesco before he got back and buy some paper plates, brioche buns, squash, pot noodles, cereal bars, cake, bin liners, anti bac wipes, a cheap kettle and washing up stuff etc, and id possibly take the microwave up there for the week. Think camping food- tinned veggie chilli, potatoes that can be microwaves, those alpro soya pots that don’t need a fridge, powdered milk and so on. Then id open all the windows and go out for an hour just before he got back and ask him to go straight up there.

Then i wouldn’t think you’d need to isolate.

Thirtyrock39 · 30/07/2021 22:23

@Willow4987

I don’t think you do

Recently DS1 came into contact with a positive case at nursery so had to isolate. We were explicitly told by nursery (who were told by test and trace) that no other household members had to isolate unless we developed symptoms or received a positive test ourselves

While that sounds completely mental (especially as toddlers can’t exactly isolate from the rest of the household) they are the rules.

We did actually isolate the whole household to be on the safe side, but according to test and trace we weren’t legally obliged to.

In your situation you won’t be in direct contact with him so I personally wouldn’t isolate

That's not the same situation as ops - your child was a contact , ops has a positive test . Positive test household isolates, contact just the contact . Unless it's a self contained flat you'll have to isolate. I know lots of people who live in town houses and positive person stayed on one floor on own but there's still a lot of mixing, washing , cooking etc...
Original poster
Bloodycovid19 · 30/07/2021 22:23

Mixed responses here. I'll phone the helpline tomorrow. I haven't decided what to do. Some posters are assuming I have decided not to isolate and am asking for validation. That is far from the case.

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread