No need to isolate worrying me.

[Bellabelloo]

The girl I sit next to at work has a sister who she's just been on holiday with, 7 hour car journey, shared a room, live together, tested positive yesterday. She did a PCR today, negative, so is now allowed to come to work. I feel a bit uncomfortable about this, but guess it's the 'new normal'. How would you feel?

The NHS Trust I work for agrees with you - we are not allowed into work if someone in our household tests positive, even if we're double vaccinated. The risk of breakthrough infection is too high and patients too vulnerable.

If she's double jabbed there is a high degree of protection. Dd has been exposed twice these holidays on residentials she was on, she was the only doubled jabbed and the only one not to test positive.

It does seem a bit crazy. But I think a lot of people were beginning to ignore the isolation rules, so you may have been in a similar situation anyway without knowing it.

If it's negative PCR I wouldn't be concerned. I currently have Covid and DS tested negative, we live in the same house. He is isolating with me though due to only being 8! I wouldn't trust a LFT.

Perhaps she should do another one in a couple of days too.

I wonder if schools will ask for negative pcr test. Although there is no way of knowing someone in the household would be positive. We will just hear about it from the child.

@JayDot500

I'm also worried about these scenarios, but I've come to terms with people just not caring enough about others around them who might be vulnerable. Some will recognise that they might later turn positive and wear a masks etc, but others just won't be bothered and will say you're overreacting. So, if possible, figure out what you can do to protect yourself.

I don't think that's fair though, now the rules have changed it very much depends. In this case, the colleagues work may say ah you can work at home for 2 weeks, you can have 2 weeks off paid- both of those, depending on the job are unlikely really if they're back in office or whatever; so should people risk their jobs by choosing to isolate? No. Testing is responsible, but blame the government if you need to.

What’s the other option?

@Savannahnanana

It wouldn’t worry me at all. We need to get back to some sort of normality. How long would you like this to drag on for?

This!!!!!! Honestly amazed that so many people are desperate to eek out every bit of restriction and misery.

I've been pretty chilled about covid as a teacher. I haven't felt unsafe even when back at school. This does make me feel unsafe though, as it will any profession or job that comes into contact with many people.

The idea that if my child gets Covid, I can still go into work and come into close contact with 120 students a day, potentially spreading it round makes me nervous. As does potentially 5students with family members with it coming in and spreading it round.

It might spread like wildfire in schools and that does scare me but ultimately life does need to return to normal at some point.

DS has been told to isolate 4 times for close contact. He got it the 4th time.
He lived as part of the family, and I even shared a bed with him when he felt really rough. We opened the windows as much as possible, but otherwise didnt separate him from the family. None of us got it.
There is a chance your work colleague will get it, there us then a chance you will get it. But it is a small chance. Would you ve concerned if your colleagues sister had chicken pox? Flu? Measles? Close contacts of all of those woukdnt be isolated. Yes, Covid is new, yes it is scary to some, but life needs to go on. We cannot keep shutting down peoples lives on a what if.
Dont share cups, open the windows if you can, wash your hands. Live your life.

DH went to a committee meeting yesterday. All last year meetings were on Zoom. They resumed in person in May but they spread chairs/tables out so everyone was at least 2m apart. At yesterday's meeting it was suggested that they now put chairs/tables back together - for no other reason than because it's allowed. DH works with extremely vulnerable (healthwise) people and for this reason we (as a family) have continued to be cautious even after rules have relaxed. In view of the non- isolation requirements he has said he won't be attending further meetings if they don't keep to the 2m rule. Cases are rising again in our area. Covid hasn't gone away.

@Noteshook she could
-continue testing for at least a week (Lateral Flow)
-wear a mask
-be conscious about sanitizing/minimise what she touches in the office
-keep her distance from others

But no. She'll likely go into work and do whatever. Many people are 'over Covid' and MN clearly shows that. So like I said to the OP, it's on her to do whatever she can to protect herself.

It would make more sense for households to isolate for five days at least and do a pcr test. At least until more younger people have been vaccinated.

[quote JayDot500]@Noteshook she could
-continue testing for at least a week (Lateral Flow)
-wear a mask
-be conscious about sanitizing/minimise what she touches in the office
-keep her distance from others

But no. She'll likely go into work and do whatever. Many people are 'over Covid' and MN clearly shows that. So like I said to the OP, it's on her to do whatever she can to protect herself.[/quote]
You have no idea whether she’s going to do any of these things or not but of course you couldn’t let a little thing like that stop you having a go. (Also, sanitising stuff has next to nothing to do with covid, which is airborne. But again, why let the facts get in the way of a good moan?)

@Imnothereforthedrama

I thought you should take a pcr test not a lft if a close contact although you don’t have to. I agree we have to move on with life but I think employers should be insisting on pcr then back to work if negative IMO .

But think about it, she's living with her positive sister, ONE PCR test isn't going to mean she doesn't get it the next day! That's why the isolation period is 10 days, to cover the greatest part of the incubation period.

@Neverrains

The idea is that now we have vaccinations and treatments we start to move towards treating it like other viruses. For example you wouldn’t be this concerned if your colleague came into work and said her sister had flu, would you? Or another nasty virus? The contact isolation has to stop at some point.

In time yes, but not while there are 30,000 cases a day.

@Waxonwaxoff0

If it's negative PCR I wouldn't be concerned. I currently have Covid and DS tested negative, we live in the same house. He is isolating with me though due to only being 8! I wouldn't trust a LFT.

Perhaps she should do another one in a couple of days too.

It doesn't mean he didn't get it yesterday or won't get it today/another day, you are still shedding covid virus.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

What’s the other option?

People living in the house with someone testing positive isolate for 10 days

No one is trying to legislate to stop you ending up in bed with a nasty virus, nor should they. They’re trying to stop you ending up in hospital with it and vaccines are now the main mechanism through which they do that. Close contact isolation was only ever possibly a proportionate measure while it was much more likely that you’d take up significant medical resources if you did catch it.

[quote JayDot500]@Noteshook she could
-continue testing for at least a week (Lateral Flow)
-wear a mask
-be conscious about sanitizing/minimise what she touches in the office
-keep her distance from others

But no. She'll likely go into work and do whatever. Many people are 'over Covid' and MN clearly shows that. So like I said to the OP, it's on her to do whatever she can to protect herself.[/quote]
There's nothing to suggest she won't do any of that, she has informed her workplace who evidently said it was fine to go in so wouldn't facilitate staying at home, and has tested which is responsible. Legally it sounds like she could have just gone into work, she must be double vaccinated to be exempt from isolating (I think?).

@Neverrains

The idea is that now we have vaccinations and treatments we start to move towards treating it like other viruses. For example you wouldn’t be this concerned if your colleague came into work and said her sister had flu, would you? Or another nasty virus? The contact isolation has to stop at some point.

But it’s not the flu or other virus though and can’t be compared.

I can’t see how winter will be anything other than bleak of household contacts are allowed into work and education after just one test when they could catch it any any point whilst the other person they are with is positive.
Very different if cases were very low but not 30k a day.

Why can’t it be compared? Because it’s more severe and puts more people in hospital? Enter vaccines. That’s the point.

Taking a single PCR test immediately is a ridiculous idea. Isolating and taking a second after 5 days would be a much better approach for household contacts.

I agree it actually makes no sense scientifically. Jabbed or not you can still spread it the same.

I do think the reason that people who haven’t been jabbed still have to isolate after a contact is simply to incentivise people to get the jab by implying they will be inconvenienced if they don’t.
(I’m double jabbed and I do agree that life has to go on)

Stay away from her. There’s a good chance she’s got it (double vaccine only protects 50% against catching it - ref Patrick Vallance at a press conference and a recent paper).