My Christmas is cancelled

[TooTiredForThis2]

My husband tested positive.

I cant tell you how much I needed this Christmas. The one time of the year where all of my family and family friends make eachother a priority so that we are together. I hate this. We cant get an online shop because slots are full, and we don't own a car.

@catwomandoo You have missed out part of the guidance. it includes taking daily lateral flow tests.

@TooTiredForThis2 You do not need to isolate if you are over 18 and have had 2 jabs.

However, it is strongly advised [this is on the government info]

COVID-19 infection rates are very high and the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly. It is important that we all take steps to reduce the spread of COVID-19 infection in the community to save lives and protect the NHS.

If you have COVID-19 symptoms you should stay at home and self-isolate immediately. You should arrange to have a PCR test as soon as possible. If this PCR test result is positive, you must continue to self-isolate.

If you do not have COVID-19 symptoms, but you have a positive PCR test result, you must stay at home and self-isolate.

If you live in the same household as someone with COVID-19 you are at significantly higher risk of becoming infected yourself.

If you have been vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine, you are less likely to become severely ill if you catch COVID-19. You are also less likely to spread COVID-19 to other people, but it is still possible for this to happen. Therefore:

if you are aged 18 years 6 months or over and you are not fully vaccinated*, and you live in the same household as someone with COVID-19, you are legally required to stay at home and self-isolate
if you are fully vaccinated or aged under 18 years and 6 months, and you live in the same household as someone with COVID-19, you are not legally required to self-isolate.
However, you are strongly advised to take an LFD test every day for 7 days, and to self-isolate if any of these test results is positive
You are fully vaccinated 14 days after having received two doses of an approved vaccine (such as Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca or Moderna/Spikevax) or one dose of the single-dose Janssen vaccine.

LFD tests are very good at identifying people who have high levels of coronavirus and are most likely to pass on infection to others, even if you do not have symptoms.

Well Op, are you double jabbed? If you are then take an LFT and if it's negative get out there, put your mask on and get some shopping in. That's the government guidelines. Get enough just in case you catch it, but you may well not.

The same has happened with us but as I am double vaccinated and boosted and testing negative, I am still going out and about as normal. Obviously we've cancelled our Christmas plans but the NHS guidance is very clear that I don't have to self isolate.
Good luck, I hope you can get the things you need!

Where are you OP?

Go on a local Facebook page or Nextdoor site for your area. If you ask for help I guarantee people will get your shopping for you if they can.

This is your to do list
Call your local parish minister. They will be able to help you with shopping etc.
call family tell them. Suggest instead of gifts they send you a care package.
Put a date in the new year for a family get together
Explore food delivery like hello fresh, gusto for some treats if budget will stretch
Arrange a zoom session on Christmas Day with family/friends.

It is shite. Really rubbish and I’m so sorry this is happening. I hope your dh isn’t too unwell

Tesco do a whoosh delivery. I can get one today so also worth checking out, might only be a smaller shop and Iceland have plenty of slots near me.

As it’s looking increasingly likely that we might end up at home for Christmas instead of visiting family I went online yesterday and got a delivery slot at Asda quite easily. Nothing at Tesco or Sainsburys but Asda seemed good. Obviously depends on your area but worth a look. I hope your DH doesn’t feel too rotten and the rest of your household escape it.

Where in the country are you OP?

If you join the sire, "nextdoor" you will find people willing to help, my local one has a number of people happy to pick up shopping and even one person cooking Xmas dinner for anyone who needs it.

Try Iceland for food shops, they don't let people boo more than one slot and they cancel any extras. If you book the 4 hour slot you can usually get a delivery and it's free delivery if you spend £40.00

I see JustJustWhy has recommended the Nextdoor site/app, and I was just about to do the same. I live rurally and this website has been instrumental in connecting communities. Especially people new to the area who haven't been able to make friends yet.

I am on my local Covid community volunteer service for my group of villages and though we're quiet we are very much all still 'signed on' and ready to help with shopping and pick up prescriptions etc. (And over the last year this has come to cover other reasons, like a neighbour breaking their leg and being unable to drive!)

As someone else said upthread - you can also contact your local church, they will be aware of all the help and services available to you.

I know it can be very hard to ask for help, but as a volunteer I have been completely discreet and understanding. Some people literally want me to drop their stuff and go, others have wanted me to stand in the garden and chat.

This doesn't help with the emotional and mental aspect of missing a Christmas which I know you must have been looking forward to so much. But if you can get the practical aspects of shopping sorted that will at least be one anxiety off your mind.

This shows how much we need our local communities, OP if you have no friends or neighbours that you know what do you do in the community? Have you helped anyone out during the pandemic who might now help you?

Look on any local neighbourhood apps or groups and ask for some help. People are kind even if they don't know you.
I've shopped for neighbours I've never spoke too before, just had a Christmas card off them too :)

My DH tested positive a couple of days ago. It was pretty gutting to cancel all our Christmas plans, especially as my lovely BIL will likely now spend Xmas day alone and my 90yo Nan won’t get to meet her new great-granddaughter until god knows when. Stupid bastard virus!

I don’t drive but managed to get a non-Christmas food shop from Amazon as Tesco etc all fully booked. If you don’t have Amazon I’m guessing you might not have others either eg Uber eats? I am also spending next week going on foraging trips to local supermarkets within walking/ bus distance and just buying what I can carry - apparently Waitrose will have turkeys in stock in store from tomorrow or I might just do a roast chicken. We’re having a delayed “proper” Xmas lunch with BIL once DH is out of isolation. Are you also having to self-isolate? I’m triple vaxxed and doing daily lateral flows so can get out at least.

DH is stowed away in the spare room so I’m in sole charge of our 3 kids (5, 3 and 3 months), trying to keep things magical for them e.g. doing Christmas crafts but I’m knackered already and trying not to worry about DH too much.

It’s really shit that so many of us are in this position. When DH first got sick I gave myself time to feel all the feelings and now am just focused on getting through the next week as festively as possible. Good luck!

It sucks, but as there are 90,000 people a day testing positive I’m sure many will be in the same position ☹️

Has anyone found the law on this - not guidance but the law? It has become very complicated to separate the two. It sounds like guidance is that only the husband here who presumably has a positive PCR test rather than just lateral flow will be isolating and I presume by law he is obliged to do so? but that the guidance is that the wife and everyone else can come and go as long as doing the daily tests. So presumably everyone could come for Christmas but the husband might be advised to have his meal taken upstairs to him to his room and people keep their distance from him?

So sorry to hear this. Do you have a local community Facebook page? You could post asking if anyone would be able to pick up a click and collect order for you. I'm sure lots of people would want to help x

We cant get an online shop because slots are full, and we don't own a car

How would you have bought your food this weekend had he not tested positive? Only he has to isolate, so you can still get some shopping?

Have you looked at local farm shops and independent butchers /bakers etc. My brother and his wife are terrified of covid and have barely been out since it started. They have deliveries each week from a baker, a butcher and the farm shop veg man. All lovely food.

www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2020/7/contents

Good luck with it though

@Member589500

Honestly unless you live in a really weird and/or isolated area your neighbours will step up. Do you have any local groups? I know it’s not just about the shopping and I’m sorry

I’m so sorry OP and hope you get this sorted. As pp have said try Nextdoor, mutual aid groups, Amazon, uber eats, Deliveroo and keep checking as supermarket slots do become available. Also public service announcement Building a framework of local friends should be a priority for everyone. I had a migraine within weeks of moving to a new area and couldn’t pick up dcs from school. I phoned my 2hours away mum in a panic and she said, ‘you have to make local friends!’ At the time I was as I wanted immediate help but that’s the best advice ever.

Op you can go out though?

@Albless

OP, I’m a Parish Minister. If you contact your local church they’ll be able to help.

I was going to suggest the same. You don't have to be a churchgoer, they will help anyone.

Also public service announcement Building a framework of local friends should be a priority for everyone. I had a migraine within weeks of moving to a new area and couldn’t pick up dcs from school. I phoned my 2hours away mum in a panic and she said, ‘you have to make local friends!’ At the time I was hmm as I wanted immediate help but that’s the best advice ever.

could'nt agree more. you reap what you sow.

@Russelhobskettle

Well Op, are you double jabbed? If you are then take an LFT and if it's negative get out there, put your mask on and get some shopping in. That's the government guidelines. Get enough just in case you catch it, but you may well not.

Do this OP. As long as you're double jabbed you are allowed to go out, as long as he's not been told its Omicron

if neither of you drive,
how were you planning on getting in food even if your dh had not tested positive given you hadn't got an online slot?