Covid rules and working

[mamaknowsnothing]

Ds12 has Covid and I've got symptoms. I contacted my boss to let him know I wouldn't be at work at the weekend (I'm part time) and he said as long as an lft was negative that day and I'm double jabbed I could still work. I don't understand it!

I've ordered home pcr tests and they'll hopefully arrive tomorrow but results won't be back until Saturday at the earliest.

I don't understand how I can work with symptoms. I'm non stop coughing, splitting headache and just feel shite.

I also have a disability that gets worse if I have a high temp so panicking over that a bit too.

Anyone know if my boss is right???

No. They are not correct. It would be fine if you were a contact and didn't have symptoms but as you have symptoms you need to isolate and wait for the PCR results.
It doesn't sound as though you are well enough to work anyway

Two issues
Can you go to work while symptomatic and awaiting a PCR test? NO
Should you go to work if you are too ill to work regardless of cause? NO
Send him a link to the government PCR test site - the bit in bold is the key.

Your boss is wrong. He’s thinking that LFTs can be used when symptomatic, which isn’t correct.
The positive case in your household actually makes no difference once you have symptoms, you need a PCR.

You’ve got classic Covid symptoms. How can he not know that you need to isolate until you get a negative pcr? It’s pretty much two years in now.

If you’ve got an lft at home, that could show a positive which might get your boss off your back. No need to mention you’ve done one if it’s negative (which doesn’t rule out Covid).

Thanks

I was sure he was wrong but he's adamant I can go in. A colleague had two kids with Covid and still came to work. She didn't have symptoms though.

These rules are stupid though

It's the symptoms that change this.

If you had a householder with a positive PCR result, then you would be a close contact. As long as you are double jabbed, you don't need to isolate, instead you need to take a PCR test.

As you have symptoms, and are waiting for a PCR test, then you should isolate.

I am a teacher with a positive household member since Sunday. I was a close contact last Thursday, so took a PCR on Sunday too. I have been doing twice daily LFTs since Sunday, which meant I could go to work. This morning though, I woke up with symptoms, did my LFT and it was positive. So, I'm at home waiting for a PCR result.

These rules are stupid though

Yes, because I've been maskless in a room with 27 other maskless people, as per primary school 'rules' for the last 2 days. LFTs aren't all that accurate, I could have been positive on Monday.

My boss knows I have symptoms, still insisting I come in.

Test and trace have said no, don't go to work. Have recommended I go to a drive in test site today to hopefully get the results before I have work tomorrow 🙄

Just waiting on my main boss to call me back

LFTs have got quite a bad reputation but they’re not actually too bad if used when you’ve got symptoms. You can’t use them to rule out having Covid. Lots of people seem to misunderstand the “don’t use them with symptoms” instruction as they don’t work with symptoms.

www.ox.ac.uk/news/2021-07-14-lateral-flow-tests-are-95-effective-detecting-covid-19-when-used-onset-symptoms

Can you get your boss to put his instructions/orders in writing in an email to you? Maybe use it at some stage in the future to seek compo?

I feel like the crux of your dilemma is getting lost in all the ridiculous myriad of testing, tracking, jabbing, masking etc.

It doesn’t really matter if it’s covid, another coronavirus, flu or Ebola. If you’re too sick to work then you’re too sick to work. Just call in sick!