If you’re trying to decide whether to go to a Christmas party

[AchillesLastStand]

Victoria Derbyshire on Twitter has shared that her triple vaccinated brother contracted omicron at a Christmas meal out. Out of 21 one of them 17 have now tested positive.

twitter.com/vicderbyshire/status/1469354766560026624

Imagine thousands of similar mini super-spreading events up and down the country this week and where that could lead.

@Booklover3

If your trying to decide if you want to go to a party…

First ask yourself - Do you want to go?

If yes then go.
If no then don’t.

That is pretty much it.

I am going to one next week, but it is just the 3 of us, and meeting in the day when it is quiet. It is something to look forward to, and we really need that.

No one is selfish on here except for you. You are pushing your own agenda here

Spot on!

Everyone did LFs for our Christmas Party. We do them three times a week anyway. 12 out of 30 have now tested positive for the virus. One is in hospital, we’ve had to do emergency rotas for the rest of us.

I don't like this blame game either

Me neither. You could say that everyone who passes it on is to blame in some way. What's the alternative? Us all hibernating in a cave for the next 2/3/4 years?

The thing going forward this week is the availability of lateral flow tests. They currently cannot be ordered from nhs due to high demand.

I'll be going to mine thanks. I caught Covid at work. Viruses will do what viruses do.

@LemonSwan

Surely the cause of this is someone not bothering to LFT before hand?

I just had a packed weekend of social events and every single one, everyone attending was asked to and did an LFT.

Surely that is the solution rather than cancelling everything?

I know 2 separate people who had negative LFT’s but were positive on PCR. All those people who tested negative may not actually all be negative @LemonSwan

We could be in the same position for a few more years, if people don't go out then the hospitality industry won't survive.
Blame blame blame
Kids first, schools, mask wearing, vaccinated, unvaccinated, now Xmas parties

It's pointless trying to avoid covid, we could all do everything "right" and people will still catch it and it will still spread.

I'll be going out as usual..

@SivvyPlath

And I guess hysteria is your strong point.

We are at alert level 4, the virus in general circulation, transmission is high and direct Covid-19 pressure on healthcare services is widespread and substantial or rising. Social distancing should be practiced.

What part of Christmas party with a virus with a R of 4 isn’t problematic to you?

@AchillesLastStand

That’s nice. Some lovely selfish posters on here who are more than happy to pass the virus on to anyone they meet, and will directly contribute to the next lockdown and schools closing.

I agree. It's nice to see people making their own risk assessments and not allowing themselves to be guilted by some random on MN.

Stay at home and feel smug all you like. Others aren't obliged to do the same.

@Ugzbugz

We could be in the same position for a few more years, if people don't go out then the hospitality industry won't survive. Blame blame blame Kids first, schools, mask wearing, vaccinated, unvaccinated, now Xmas parties

Hospitality won’t survive another lockdown, will it?

There are needs and wants. Kids need to be in school.

Fgs. You aren't the Covid police.

@AchillesLastStand I think hospitality will stand more of a chance of survival if the government closed them as they would then need to offer financial assistance. The crux of the matter is whether the government want to go down furlough route again.

Asking people not to go to hospitality venues off their own back, with no support system in place will finish off many.

Hospitality needs December business to get through January and February which are always quiet. So it's better for them to be getting customers now.

I have contracted covid. How do I find out if its omicron? My google searches say it takes weeks for the analysis to be done, and its not clear if the NHS will even tell you if they find out it is omicron? So not sure how Victoria can claim its Omicron unless the party was weeks ago

Also my lateral flows for the last week (3 taken) have all been negative, PCR test from the weekend came back positive this morning

@AchillesLastStand

That’s nice. Some lovely selfish posters on here who are more than happy to pass the virus on to anyone they meet, and will directly contribute to the next lockdown and schools closing.

Rubbish. What makes you think that you could not do the same thing you are accusing other people of?

Our outdoor Christmas work lunch tomorrow has just been cancelled. I'm quite relieved.

@Doje

I'm currently isolating after contracting Covid at my Christmas 'party'... 🙄 It was only a handful of us out for dinner, so could have been worse.

I can't speak for the person that gave it to me, but I did lateral flows every day in the run up to getting symptoms, which were all negative. I even did a test after my PCR - Also negative. Maybe I'm doing them wrong, but if I am, then I'd hazard a guess that the majority of other people are doing them wrong too.

I doubt you are doing them wrong. They are inaccurate. My son's were showing negative, then he had a positive PCR.

I'll be honest, the next couple of weeks will be really quiet for us, as we desperately don't want to isolate over Christmas, we couldn't see our families last year and have made plans to see them Christmas day and boxing day and I'd be gutted if we couldn't do that. I do however completely understand that people want to go out and let their hair down which is also perfectly valid - I couldn't ask strangers to cancel their plans so I can see my mum on Christmas day, I can only alter what I'm doing and hope for the best.

Just to echo what others have said about LF tests. Our sons were both negative on Wednesday morning. Our youngest felt warm Wednesday evening and got a positive. Eldest was negative Thursday morning but we took him for a PCR anyway. His LF was positive Friday morning, and the PCR from Thursday was too. So LFs are not always a good indicator, and they can change very quickly.

@Booklover3 You made me laugh.

I feel for the hospitality industry. I feel for hospital staff. Of course there’s a risk of catching covid at a Christmas party. I don’t think anyone would say otherwise. Some people are very worried about that; others are not. I’m probably on the more anxious end of the spectrum when it comes to covid so I avoid crowded places. I wouldn’t tell others they have to do the same.

[quote tigger1001]@AchillesLastStand I think hospitality will stand more of a chance of survival if the government closed them as they would then need to offer financial assistance. The crux of the matter is whether the government want to go down furlough route again.

Asking people not to go to hospitality venues off their own back, with no support system in place will finish off many.[/quote]
This is absolutely spot on.

There are needs and wants. Kids need to be in school.

They also need to be housed and fed. There are many, many thousands of people who rely on hospitality jobs to do that. What do you propose they do? Most still haven’t recovered from the huge hit their incomes took last year and early this year.

I want my child in school as much as anyone, but I’m not arrogant or naive enough to think that should be everyone’s number one priority.