When do you think the testing and keeping home of otherwise healthy people will end?

[MarcelineMissouri]

Ds woke up with a cough yesterday. No other symptoms, perfectly well in himself. And a minor cough that I wouldn’t have given a second thought to 2 years ago.
Got him tested at 930am yesterday. The result still isn’t back so he’s missed a second day of school now and is bouncing off the walls.

Now, regardless of whether or not he tests positive (I think v unlikely, cases are v low in our area) he is basically a healthy child at home instead of school. The vast majority of children I know who have tested positive have been symptomless or nearly symptomless, and yet have to miss over a week of school and stay at home for 10 days. And of course not just children - adults who are perfectly well but picked up by random testing, then stuck at home, often unable to work.

At what point will we stop this and revert back to just staying at home if we feel unwell? This is not sustainable in the long term. I really hope that come spring we move to testing only if you are actually ill.

And before anyone asks, no I’m not sitting pretty working from home, I work in a primary school and have kids all over me every day so I’m well aware of what this could mean in terms of exposure, I just think that at some point soon (after this winter at the latest) we need to revise the testing criteria to only those with symptoms.

Ah fair enough.

[quote Macaroni46]@ollyollyoxenfree because every time a child waits for the result of a PCR test they have to isolate. As OP explained, this has led to her DS missing 2 days off school. If that happens 5 times, that's the equivalent of two weeks missed of school.
I totally agree with you @MarcelineMissouri We need to stop testing symptomless people and stop isolating unless people are actually ill.
I also don't hide at home. 'Front line' too in an infant school. [/quote]
Children only need to isolate whilst waiting PCR results if they have symptoms.

I agree that that waiting around for a result for 2 days is frustrating, but I don't see how a viable alternative is potentially sending an infectious child into school, in the current situation.

There's lots of policies that could be brought in to help mitigate this - antibody testing for starters.

Just seen update @Smartiepants79 - that's really frustrating and the school shouldn't have said that.

He had a symptom - a cough. So he needed to isolate until we got the result. My point is that like millions of kids he had a bit of a cough that no one would have raised an eyebrow at 2 years ago and has consequently missed yet another 2 days of school for something really minor and that will probably happen several times over the next few months. I accept it for this winter, I’m just asking how much longer can this go on for?

Soon I hope. We’ve missed so much work because every time my DC gets a cough she has to test and isolate and isn’t allowed back in nursery until negative test result. She picks up golds a lot and always gets a cough with it. She would be fine to go to nursery with a mild cold/cough if it weren’t for COVID rules.

We’ve reached the point where we send her in to nursery now no matter what and wait for them to send her home for a test, at least that way we get some work time as they don’t tend to send home until late afternoon. The rules really aren’t sustainable.

I completely agree. I think late spring - May time although I would prefer it to be now. MN is full of people who would prefer the whole country to remain in isolation forever but its not necessary or sustainable.

I guessed May 2022, for when we get to treat maybe-covid like a common cold (no testing or isolating "required" but there may be social pressure to get a test).

I'm Not minded to move from May 2022.

On Friday DD2 got sent home from school with a headache. As per local rules, she needed a PCR. She was fine by mid afternoon... but the test came back positive. As did her sisters, with no symptoms. So they are both home until next Tuesday/Wednesday. As am I, as they are too young to be left alone.

In that time they are missing...
Rugby club twice
Cubs twice
Over a week of school
DD1 missing all the open evenings for Secondary schools
School photos
Flu vaccination (unless they accept the permission forms on the day)
Seeing their dad two weekends in a row

All for one short headache...

I accept its currently necessary... but there's lots of other illnesses out there without the same implications affecting people a lot more...

Op I totally agree with you. My DCs have just missed 2 days of school waiting for a test result that I had to chase this morning with bated breath- all for a minor cough that was negative. It’s not sustainable and the impact on children and working parents is massive and I’m not sure it’s proportionate anymore. Part of the issue is the time it takes to get test results returned - I’ve had some back the next morning but then like this week nearly 4 days ?! All the while isolating at home and trying to work at the same time with 2 young frustrated and unsettled kids... and the same could happen to them next week if one gets a possible symptom. I can see that people are going to get less and less inclined to take tests when the testing period is soo uncertain.

Completely agree with you OP. There are 8 positive cases in DS's primary class at the moment. Not a single child is unwell enough to be off were it not for the positive test. All very frustrating for the families.

We’ve reached the point where we send her in to nursery now no matter what and wait for them to send her home for a test, at least that way we get some work time as they don’t tend to send home until late afternoon. The rules really aren’t sustainable.*

Same here, this is what I do with my toddler. Its just ridiculous and unsustainable to expect to be off with every symptom, so those of us living in the real world just do what we have to do.

I'm actually OK with the way things are at the moment. DD is currently positive, she doesn't have any of the classic symptoms but she is a bit under the weather. If I hadn't tested her she might still have gone to school as I would feel under pressure to keep her good attendance record, and avoid having to take time off myself and put pressure on my already stretched colleagues. Alternatively if I had kept her off she would be going to my parents while I worked.

As it is, because she has Covid the decision, and therefore the guilt, are out of my hands. I can keep her off, and stay home myself, with a clear conscience, and avoid spreading a highly infectious illness to a) the clinically vulnerable group of people that I care for at work b) my parents who are in their 70s and c) my daughter's friend, and her mother who is currently dying of cancer - yes she will be dying in the next few months regardless, but I am certain she and her daughter would both prefer that timetable wasn't shortened by covid.

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

On Friday DD2 got sent home from school with a headache. As per local rules, she needed a PCR. She was fine by mid afternoon... but the test came back positive. As did her sisters, with no symptoms. So they are both home until next Tuesday/Wednesday. As am I, as they are too young to be left alone.

In that time they are missing...
Rugby club twice
Cubs twice
Over a week of school
DD1 missing all the open evenings for Secondary schools
School photos
Flu vaccination (unless they accept the permission forms on the day)
Seeing their dad two weekends in a row

All for one short headache...

I accept its currently necessary... but there's lots of other illnesses out there without the same implications affecting people a lot more...

But it wasn't just for "one short headache". She ended up testing positive. If she had gone to all the events you list, she could have spread the illness to many other people - some may have only had a mild done, others not as much. They then could have gone on to infect many, many others. You did the right thing.

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

On Friday DD2 got sent home from school with a headache. As per local rules, she needed a PCR. She was fine by mid afternoon... but the test came back positive. As did her sisters, with no symptoms. So they are both home until next Tuesday/Wednesday. As am I, as they are too young to be left alone.

In that time they are missing...
Rugby club twice
Cubs twice
Over a week of school
DD1 missing all the open evenings for Secondary schools
School photos
Flu vaccination (unless they accept the permission forms on the day)
Seeing their dad two weekends in a row

All for one short headache...

I accept its currently necessary... but there's lots of other illnesses out there without the same implications affecting people a lot more...

It isn't over one short headache though, is it?

@secretllama

* We’ve reached the point where we send her in to nursery now no matter what and wait for them to send her home for a test, at least that way we get some work time as they don’t tend to send home until late afternoon. The rules really aren’t sustainable.*

Same here, this is what I do with my toddler. Its just ridiculous and unsustainable to expect to be off with every symptom, so those of us living in the real world just do what we have to do.

Yes, which is a big part of why it keeps spreading. It's been the same with stomach bugs for years, guidance is 48 hours from last vomit but you get so many kids being sent in and cheerfully telling you that they were up puking all night but felt much better in the morning so mum/dad said they should come...

I’m with you OP

For one thing, there are so many people who have covid with zero symptoms or with none of the “listed” symptoms, that it makes no sense to single out only those with the three listed symptoms for testing.

My DC2 used to get a cough all winter, every winter, till we had her tonsils out. Boy am I glad we did that.

I think a lot of MN are in jobs where they can easily wfh or a few days missed income is neither here nor there. I've been saying from the start that for a lot of people isolaying and potentially missing multiple chunks off work while booking/testing/waiting for PCRs (for themselves and/or their children) is not sustainable or affordable but a lot of people seem unable to grasp this. Other threads are full of people talking about a parent being selfish if they went out to work/to get shopping if their child (but not themselves) are ill. And talking about "doing the right thing" and using common sense". Of course its the right thing to do regarding infection control, but there are other factors

Its a lot easier to do the right thing and use common sense and "think about the bigger picture" if your household income isn't massively compromised.

It isn't over one short headache though, is it?

But that's the point. It is just a headache- that is the sum total of the illness for this family. A child wouldn't normally have to put their life on hold for a headache so when will this end?

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

On Friday DD2 got sent home from school with a headache. As per local rules, she needed a PCR. She was fine by mid afternoon... but the test came back positive. As did her sisters, with no symptoms. So they are both home until next Tuesday/Wednesday. As am I, as they are too young to be left alone.

In that time they are missing...
Rugby club twice
Cubs twice
Over a week of school
DD1 missing all the open evenings for Secondary schools
School photos
Flu vaccination (unless they accept the permission forms on the day)
Seeing their dad two weekends in a row

All for one short headache...

I accept its currently necessary... but there's lots of other illnesses out there without the same implications affecting people a lot more...

But it might not be 'one small headache' for the people they pass it onto!

People wanted schools open, they're open, but it involves a degree of responsibility not to pass Covid on to others.

I think the answer to the ops original post is that is will stop when Covid stops having such a massive impact on hospitals which might include having better treatments as well as less Covid being around.
Those of you saying that nobody isolates if they've been in contact with measles, mumps, chicken pox, well they used to. If you go back to 1920's or 30s children used to have to quarantine if they had been in contact with a case. Children retuning to boarding school used to have to have health certificates to confirm they were well and hadn't been in contact with cases.
This only stopped when there were better treatments and then vaccines obviously reduced outbreaks too.

@SuperCaliFragalistic

It isn't over one short headache though, is it?

But that's the point. It is just a headache- that is the sum total of the illness for this family. A child wouldn't normally have to put their life on hold for a headache so when will this end?

But it might not be a headache for the people they pass it onto. I only had a headache when I had COVID, I didn't think it would be OK to go about my business spreading it around and causing some people to be rather unwell.

I think if testing is to continue indefinitely, there needs to be a reliable, accurate test with fast results (similar to current LFTs, but not shit). That way if people are negative, they can get on with their lives and not miss school/work/important events etc while waiting days for PCR results. If you don't drive and have to rely on postal tests you need to isolate for several days, especially when labs are busy. That's just not sustainable long term, often several times a month.

I get where your coming from but my kids were not sick with chicken pox either so technically could of gone to school
Also with a sickness bug you should stay off 48 hrs once symptom free as well
The biggest issue is the test result tiime , if we could get them back same day that would help
We have had to miss between us about
10 days school / work due to having symptoms and testing and not actually been positive , but seem one at a time to pick up every cough / cold going

I totally agree, OP.

The situation is beyond ridiculous, and I am just glad that I no longer have school aged children.

It needs to stop. Ideally now, though I don't for a moment think that will happen. More likely it will happen next spring.

I think what we need to remember as well is chicken pox doesn't cause the same amount of hospitalisations or deaths as covid
Your not comparing comparable diseases
For your child covid may be a headache for someone else it could be a ventilator ?