Colleague has come into work sick…

[theycallmeuser]

My colleague came in to work yesterday absolutely full of cold, coughing and sneezing.

She’s again come in today. She says she’s done lateral flows and they are negative!!

Would I be unreasonable to go home?!

@Oblomov21

There are loads of coughs and colds going around atm.

Are your company requesting a PCR?

If it's positive there is still no need to isolate, as per guidelines, of Monday.

So what are your company requesting that she does?

Huh? If she's positive she has to isolate, it's only contacts that don't. If she's positive I expect the OP would rather she wasn't spreading it round the office and was at home, rather than looking for 10 days isolation herself

Sounds like my mum.... She didn't test positive til day 5 of her symptoms.

@maryandhersheep

She isn’t positive.

She’s just got “a cold” but has negative LFT’s.

The odd cough typical with a cold is different to continuous constant coughing which is a symptom of covid

@theycallmeuser

Her cough is one an hour or so. Isn’t that continuous?!

No, continuos is none stop coughing for long periods of time

I get at least 4 colds per year. I can't just not work. Winters going to be fun with this attitude and normal bugs back in circulation!

Where does the OP mention new continuos cough?

She has Covid symptoms (the cough) so absolutely should get a PCR and isolate until she gets the results back.

The Delta variant is mostly presenting with cold symptoms - snotty nose, tiredness, sore throat, occasional coughing, feeling very bunged up, feverish in the beginning

The government are twats and haven't updated the guidance

I know a dozen people with Covid in last 2 months - all confirmed, all presenting as a cold - all double jabbed - most of them not even a horrific cold

GET TESTED if you have a cold

I literally know no one who has a cold where it's not been Covid 🤷‍♀️ with a PCR test

I am in London btw so know LOADS of people

@movingadviceneeded

I get at least 4 colds per year. I can't just not work. Winters going to be fun with this attitude and normal bugs back in circulation!

Nobody's asking you to : just to get a test.

But the OPs colleague is testing......

continuous is none stop coughing for long periods of time

Not according to the NHS.

No the colleague is doing lateral flow - not a real test which is PCR for people with symptoms

@HalzTangz

Where does the OP mention new continuos cough?

3 or more coughing episodes in a 24 hour period is classed as continuous and is definitely a Covid symptom.

Just to say that I know at least half a dozen people now, personally, who have had "cold" symptoms like this, tested negative repeatedly on LFTs then proven to be positive on PCR.

Don't know if it's coincidence, but LFTs definitely seem to be less reliable since Delta became the dominant variant (just in my personal experience)

Well I can’t force her to get a PcR and work have told her she doesn’t have to go for one.

[quote theycallmeuser]@maryandhersheep

She isn’t positive.

She’s just got “a cold” but has negative LFT’s.[/quote]
I know but the PP was asking what you expect her to do as isolation rules changed on Monday... I never said she was positive

@maryandhersheep

Isolation rules changed if you’ve been in contact with a case.
But not if you have symptoms. She should be getting a PCR test but she isn’t and all because she doesn’t have a “continuous cough” or fever.

It’s so bloody selfish. I have to sit by her all day and I’m at risk of getting it now if it’s Covid.
I don’t want to catch it.

Can you print out the NHS definition of continuous coughing re Covid and leave it on her desk (or ideally ask HR to deal with it).

@JacquelineCarlyle

I don’t see what difference it will make.
I’ve already told her I think she needs a PCR.

Her response was that it was just a cold and we can’t all be testing every time we get a sniffle.

[quote theycallmeuser]@maryandhersheep

Isolation rules changed if you’ve been in contact with a case.
But not if you have symptoms. She should be getting a PCR test but she isn’t and all because she doesn’t have a “continuous cough” or fever.

It’s so bloody selfish. I have to sit by her all day and I’m at risk of getting it now if it’s Covid.
I don’t want to catch it.[/quote]
I know.... that's what I said 🤦🏻‍♀️

@maryandhersheep

Sorry. Must’ve missed it.

The new variant presents very much like a cold. I've tested positive, without any of the supposed key symptoms, just the beginning of a cold. I'm still no iller than I have ever been with just a cold, I've just got a bunged up nose, and my body ached for a couple of days. That's it! Had I not tested, I would never have thought it was COVID. I think there's a massive lack on info about new variant symptoms. Even a headache & sneezing are on the list of symptoms when you complete the track and trace questionnaire, just goes to show!

[quote theycallmeuser]@JacquelineCarlyle

I don’t see what difference it will make.
I’ve already told her I think she needs a PCR.

Her response was that it was just a cold and we can’t all be testing every time we get a sniffle.[/quote]
I thought you meant she was denying having a continuous cough, given it's not non-stop, but if she is simply ignoring symptoms then not sure what you can do, unless HR or management will insist on it.

Wear a mask and stay as far away from her as possible - can you move desks?

@JacquelineCarlyle

I can’t move desks.

My desk is next to her but we have a desk in between us to give us distance.
So we’re a desk width apart. Over 2m.

We’ve had the windows open today but what difference does that make when she’s walking about the office without a mask on.