New self isolation rules

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I can't work this out from the gov.uk website, if one family member has symptoms, should the other family members get a pcr test (and self isolate in the meantime), or would that only be advised if someone in the family had an actual positive test?

The double jabbed also have to be 2 weeks post their second jab.

I'm waiting on my sons PCR results. Dd has a cough and dh is always coughing as he smokes so they all took a PCR but really dh has no symptoms so just did it as a close contact but he didnt need to.

If only one comes back positive we are free to go about our business. I dont need to test as symptom free. That's how I read it anyway

I did some research about this over the weekend as l have had to self isolate as my son has Covid. I am double jabbed.

My interpretation is that being a close contact and living with someone who has Covid are treated as two separate things. You no longer have to self isolate if you have been a close contact BUT if you live with someone with Covid you still do.

The link to the press release above is confusing because it does not make any distinction between the two. I think it makes sense. You are far more exposed by living with someone for the full 10 days of isolation than perhaps one meet up where you met the definition of close contact ( 15 mins - less than 2 metres l think).

I am more than happy to be corrected on this.

Surely test and trace stops today as well? No need to say who we was in close contact with last week?

Seems a bit mad if I'm honest

@Legoandloldolls test and trace will still operate as some people are not double jabbed

@Whatdirection This is my confusion!

Here is the extract from my new Trace and Trace text:

If you live in the same household as someone with COVID-19
Stay at home and self-isolate. Do not go to work, school, or public areas and do not use public transport or taxis. From 16 August, if you are fully vaccinated or aged under 18 years and 6 months, you will not be required to self-isolate if you live in the same household as someone with COVID-19.

This is the latest Government Advice

www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection#exempt

@Whatdirection

I did some research about this over the weekend as l have had to self isolate as my son has Covid. I am double jabbed.

My interpretation is that being a close contact and living with someone who has Covid are treated as two separate things. You no longer have to self isolate if you have been a close contact BUT if you live with someone with Covid you still do.

The link to the press release above is confusing because it does not make any distinction between the two. I think it makes sense. You are far more exposed by living with someone for the full 10 days of isolation than perhaps one meet up where you met the definition of close contact ( 15 mins - less than 2 metres l think).

I am more than happy to be corrected on this.

No, the guidance is the same for household members and non-household members. The government webpages linked to are clearest. Even if you live with a positive case, you no longer have to self-isolate, but the government do advise people to get a test and continue to wear a mask and be cautious in these cases. But none of those precautions are mandatory, because very little is mandatory now (see mask wearing in general). The justification is that double-vaccinated people are 3 times less likely to even test positive, and the level of transmission is even lower after that.

It was my understanding that the doubly vaccinated and children don’t have to isolate at all unless they have symptoms and this doesn’t change even if you are a close contact or even if you are living with someone with Covid.

Is that not correct?

Thanks all, the new guidance is a bit unclear!

It would make sense if the rules were different for family members, vs 'close contacts' who spent an hour in the same cafe. Especially with young children where it isn't possible to isolate within the house.

Ah, I see the confusion. The guidance still has to contain the information about self-isolation if you are a close contact because there are still 25% of adults who are not double-vaccinated.
So the guidance to self-isolate if they are a close contact is still in force for them.
It is easy to forget this if you are double-vaccinated!

So the guidance to self-isolate is still the law so they still have to state that people living in households with a positive case DO have to self-isolate for 10 days, get tests etc.

But they have added in sentences that those who are 14 days post-double-vaccination no longer have to do this.

They need to change the paragraphs about self-isolation now to only specify those who are not fully vaccinated - that would be clearer

[quote HollyWolly45]@Whatdirection This is my confusion!

Here is the extract from my new Trace and Trace text:

If you live in the same household as someone with COVID-19
Stay at home and self-isolate. Do not go to work, school, or public areas and do not use public transport or taxis. From 16 August, if you are fully vaccinated or aged under 18 years and 6 months, you will not be required to self-isolate if you live in the same household as someone with COVID-19.

[/quote]
This is a major confusion. I can see the logic of stopping isolation for close contacts, we cannot go on doing this forever. However it would be dangerous to stop household contact isolation especially in unvaccinated children. It would cause problems in schools which we really do not need.
There are lots of posters on here clapping their hands about this gleeful that they can still send their children into school if a family member tests postive! 'We are learning to live with it don't you know'
Our hospitals are already at breaking point with the army drafted in to help the ambulance service, yet there is little in the media which is full of propaganda that the pandemic is over. It really isn't and we need to strike a balance between getting life back to normal whist still taking some action to mitigate risk.

Foobydoo. I have relatives working in hospitals and they are very despondent about some of the reopening because they have many patients with Covid.
The reopening that they are particularly annoyed about is packed air transport, foreign holidays, pubs and nightclubs. They also take a very dim view of those who choose not get vaccinated.

Studies have shown that transmission in school is actually quite low and that unsymptomatic people don't transmit much and that the self-isolation of hundreds of 'close contact's in a school yeargroup due to a couple of cases was totally unnecessary - that is actual scientific research. Apparently daily testing would have been just as effective, although I gather that isn't part of the current plans (though that could change).

NHS staff having to treat (and transport) highly infectious Covid patients have my sympathy and have been disregarded in all this. It is not fair on them, especially when they are mostly vaccinated but still exposed to high viral loads and are the first port of call for those with any new nasty variants. But I think other aspects of the reopening are more unnecessarily risky than under-18s close contacts stopping.

[quote ineedaholidaynow]@Legoandloldolls test and trace will still operate as some people are not double jabbed[/quote]
Of course! Doh! Thanks this had slipped my mind.

DS is in fact positive. Dd isnt and it's really weird as she has a cough. I'm going treat her like she is positive.

Thank God we haven't been anywhere with anyone for more than a glancing moment last week. Same for me when I caught it.

It’s causing real problems for childcare. If you use a childcare setting, don’t be surprised if your child is told to stay at home and be prepared with a backup.

Childminders have been told they must close for 10 days if a member of their household tests positive.
Nurseries are already having problems staffing rooms to meet legal ratios.
For these reasons, some are saying they will continue to insist on isolation for a child with a positive family member so they can protect availability for the other children.

Makes an utter mockery of the previous year to be honest . Suddenly kids and people who are vaccinated can go about even if living with someone with covid. They can still spread to everyone including the vaccinated which is why so many people are in hospital . They are basically saying the rules and the disruption we have had was unnecessary! I cannot believe the lack of questioning on this

I'm being dense...what's confusing?

As I read it, from today, if you're double jabbed or under 18 then isolation doesn't exist. It doesn't matter how close a contact you are, you don't have to isolate. You're advised to get a PCR and that's it?

If you have symptoms, you still have to isolate until you get a negative PCR.

(To be clear, I'm not saying I agree with the logic, but in terms of seeking clarity of the rules).

Have I missed something?

I believe changing non isolating households is big mistake.
Morally it feels wrong and I suspect in the next few months one of us does test postive and I keep all my kids off school I will be threatens with unauthorised absence .
I imagine employees will be forced in.
I would be more weary now personally of meals out or pubs.
As soon as school return I will start limit my contacts and go shopping less..
Although I feel sure its one if my kids that will bring it home.

Why should under 18 non vaccinated be treated as double jabbed adult.
Its not like kids are immune.

Alternatively we can all do the right thing & continue to isolate if a family member has Covid. We don't have to go out & about risking passing it on to others.

@3asAbird

I believe changing non isolating households is big mistake. Morally it feels wrong and I suspect in the next few months one of us does test postive and I keep all my kids off school I will be threatens with unauthorised absence . I imagine employees will be forced in. I would be more weary now personally of meals out or pubs. As soon as school return I will start limit my contacts and go shopping less.. Although I feel sure its one if my kids that will bring it home.

Why should under 18 non vaccinated be treated as double jabbed adult.
Its not like kids are immune.

It's not like the vaccine is 200% either!!

Don't get me wrong, it's fantastic. A complete game changer, but it's not 100%, it's not possible for everyone to have it and it's not terribly effective for some with certain medical conditions.

It is NUTS that isolating when someone you LIVE with has COVID is being tossed out. Incredibly irresponsible, even for this set of clowns.

Fatfingers/phone 100%

As the people that I know that had a positive test result all seemed to pass it on to each other with no problem despite all having had all had two injections.

This all seems very illogical.

You can obviously transmit and contract from each other quite easily so I don’t understand why you can go about your business if you’ve had 2 injections.

@AlmostSummer21

Alternatively we can all do the right thing & continue to isolate if a family member has Covid. We don't have to go out & about risking passing it on to others.

Unless your employer insists you come in.

It's not just being paid, you also have your sick days looked at over a certain period so they can get rid on performance monitoring. Dh boss has major health issues and has called everyone who was self isolating back in. Bet he would blame one of them if he caught it but at the same time doesnt want anyone off.

People like that means your moral compass is overridden by law.

I do think it's all nuts. I potentially have three kids under 18 unvaccinated who can go as they please while one has covid.

But as said in various places some company policy and childcare policy sticks to more sensible rules.

I think the numbers might go up a bit a few weeks, hopefully not significantly, just in time for school to reopen.

We will all catch it at some point. That's always been the case

@Sugarandtime

As the people that I know that had a positive test result all seemed to pass it on to each other with no problem despite all having had all had two injections. This all seems very illogical.

You can obviously transmit and contract from each other quite easily so I don’t understand why you can go about your business if you’ve had 2 injections.

Because they don't care about transmission anymore. They care about severity. Most people will transmit but won't be massively poorly now that they're vaccinated.