Do we really not need to isolate?

[Okbutnotgreat]

So one person in family has been unwell and tested positive for COVID. They’re staying in their room though have to use the family bathroom which is being cleaned regularly.

There are 5 other people currently in the household including one child. All adults have been double jabbed. Is it correct that no one else needs to isolate, the child attends school and life carries on as normal unless anyone gets symptoms?

If it’s true it will be a nightmare constantly cleaning the bathroom but a huge relief that nothing else stops. Isolating one person for 10 days isn’t easy though at all.

Correct. You’re advised to all get pcr tests though. But bear in mind you could test negative and go down with covid later.

Are we? Ok is it supposed to happen straightaway or do we leave it a day or two?

Those who are double jabbed and under 18's don't need to isolate but advised to get a test. If you have no symptoms I'm pretty sure you don't have to isolate waiting for results! I would do a test ASAP if it was me. Then you can always do one in the coming days if you feel you should.

I would be cautious though. Carry on with the cleaning and staying apart as much as possib e, keep your distance with others if you go out, masks etc. Just because we don't have to isolate in this situation doesn't mean we should go mad socialising etc!

@Okbutnotgreat

Are we? Ok is it supposed to happen straightaway or do we leave it a day or two?

No legal obligation or timescale. You are just advised to do so.

I can't get my head round it myself.
What about those of us who are in over crowded housing so can't self-isolate effectively? Or work with CEV colleagues? Or both?

Feels so strange sending a child to school too! We’re doing daily lateral flow tests all negative so far, wasn’t going to do pcrs unless positive or any symptoms.

The Covid person should, if at all possible, only use one bathroom that no one else.

Failing that. Don’t go in to clean it. It’s predominantly airborne. Make sure the bathroom window is always open and the covid person wears a mask on in the bathroom - only taking off to brush teeth. And that they shower after everyone has used the bathroom (at leave at least 2 hours from them taking a shower with the window open to ‘let out’ any air they’ve breathed in)

@Okbutnotgreat

Feels so strange sending a child to school too! We’re doing daily lateral flow tests all negative so far, wasn’t going to do pcrs unless positive or any symptoms.

if you're ALL doing LFTs every day then I am not sure in the additional benefit in doing PCRs tbh.

@NCBlossom many people only have one bathroom though this is not possible for the vast majority and even less so if the person with covid is a child

It’s recommended that close contacts get PCR tests done, some schools and work places request negative PCR results from them as well.

It’s madness isn’t it but right now that’s the policy.

Hopefully they see sense and U turn on this fast at the same time as reversing the no mask mandate 🙏🏻

@Mindymomo

It’s recommended that close contacts get PCR tests done, some schools and work places request negative PCR results from them as well.

they can't 'require'. They can ask you to though. My school is asking for siblings of positive children to come back to school as long as no symptoms, asking us to do a pcr test but has admitted it can't mandate this.

How will school etc know though I don’t have to tell them that a household member has covid.
I was thinking that pcr not necessary unless positive lft and I think we’ll carry on like that for now unless someone gets obvious symptoms.
We’re lucky enough to have an ensuite as well so I think everyone else will just have to use that for now. Inconvenient but better than sharing.

Think we’ll carry on but just be aware of how much we’re mixing and who with and try not to go out too much.

The guidelines are that you would have a PCR test - you don’t need to isolate while waiting for the results. If going PCR test is too inconvenient then you can do a postal one.

LFTs are better than nothing but they miss a lot of cases, will only identify 72 out of 100 cases with symptoms, 58 if not. A PCR is more reliable and will help protect the rest of your DCs school community. Around here we are getting 39 cases a week just in our ward, 100 a day in our borough, 70% in the under 18s so there is a lot of it about and whatever the government is saying I would err on the side of caution if we had a case in the house.

It depends where you live, in Scotland you have to self isolate until you have a negative PCR test result (and no symptoms).

I was coming on to ask where you live as in Scotland you need to isolate until you've had a negative PCR test but have been beaten to it!

Son in law had positive PCR test last week, DD’s PCR was negative and as she was double jabbed she didn’t have to self isolate.

Luckily she didn’t mix with anybody just in case, then developed symptoms and had a positive lateral flow test 8 days later which was confirmed by a PCR test

Yes, you don't have to isolate if you're in England. Not until you get a negative test.

It feels mad. DS had positive test recently (2nd time he's had Covid. We all had it together last year). Because DH and I are double jabbed apparently we did not need to isolate. We could both go to work, wander round the shops, carry on with life. We both did a negative PCR test immediately, but if we'd actually developed symptoms a week or so later, we'd have presumably been spreading it to all and sundry in the meantime.

I have no idea whether either of us actually DID have Covid around this point. We never had symptoms, but we've both had it fairly badly and have also been double jabbed. It is perfectly possible that the pair of us also had Covid a few days after DS and that we were out in the community/at work spreading it asymptomatically.

After all the attempts at lockdowns, etc this seems to be utterly stupid to me.

DS school has also got so many positive cases that they've got kids off in all year groups with Covid - and yet the rest of them are still coming in, and apparently there is now no need to close 'bubbles' (which don't exist anymore) or to wear masks or take any real mitigation.

Most people I know aren’t even isolating in the home. You can’t with young kids really. Just treating it like any other illness really. The ill one stays at home. The rest get on with life. Lateral flowing every day & I know a few families that did PCR’s a couple days after the family member tested positive.

I didn't clean more than usual. I never caught it.

@FindingMeno

I can't get my head round it myself. What about those of us who are in over crowded housing so can't self-isolate effectively? Or work with CEV colleagues? Or both?

My work was adamant that they would be following govt advice to the letter - until the first person taking a PCR test following contact but coming into work until their (positive) result was received, managed to take out half the office with their germs! They're now saying to stay at home until you've got the result of a PCR test, which is marginally better.