If I don't answer to track and trace

[flyinghigghh]

What will happen?
Myself and dd tested positive last week and feel so rough currently in bed. They have tried to call and I missed it and tried again and the line was really bad and couldn't hear. I really don't have the energy to speak to anyone. Do I have to?

They rang me when ds was positive but I was at work.... they asked when would be good to call back, I said after 8 when I finish

He was rude and said nobody works that late.... I was furious!!! We don't all have 9-5 jobs!

Never heard from them again

Block the number, problem solved

@littlepeas

I've blocked their number just in case we go down with it again. That experience would put me off bothering to PCR tbh - would prefer to just isolate with unreported lft.

We weren't ill, but it was relentless and felt like a huge invasion of our privacy. Four out of five of us went down one by one over October half term and had exactly the same call for each of us - we had only had contact with each other, so the same form had to be filled out the same way four times and the multiple texts/calls were just ridiculous. What a complete and utter waste of time and resources.

I am with you on this.

DH missed one call and they turned up at our house.

I hung up on them mid-call when they couldn’t grasp that DD had contracted covid during a stay at my exH’s house, that she’d been there for 2 weeks, and that I didn’t know who she’d been in contact with. They wanted me to tell them who I’d been in contact with instead because they “need something for the form” (I hadn’t even been in contact with DD during illness or incubation period). I blocked them. They made loads - unacceptably loads - of call/message/email attempts, and local public health emailed too, but I ignored the lot. Nothing happened.

Online form is a pain in the arse to complete when feeling unwell.

Urgh, yes. Took a whole morning with that and speaking to work etc. with a banging headache.

I didn't respond as I hadn't seen anyone the past two weeks as my kids had covid, so there was no-one for them to trace. They only called twice and gave up.

They eventually give up. I did answer once, but I could barely hear the guy. I told him dd was a close contact (of dh) and we had all been self-isolating since she was identifed as a contact and she hadn't had contact with anyone other than us in the 5 days before she became ill. He said it would still take 25 minutes.

I didn't have 25 minutes in the course of a day taking care of a child with COVID and looking after a toddler (who thankfully didn't have COVID) and trying to do my job. They said they'd ring back in the evening, but I was doing bedtime then. No email received - that would have helpful, I'd have done that.

Ironically, I work in contact tracing (in sexual health), so I get how important it is, but it's completely non-sensical that they've made it so stupidly complicated.

But of course they are trying to contact people as quickly as possible. They are needed to establish how many other people might have come into contact with you whilst contagious.

Given a 4/5 day incubation for delta and a seemingly faster one for Omicron - getting people testing as quick as possible and to possibly alter behavior is imperative to slowing the spread.

I recently had a notification of a close contact some 7 days after contact.

Though I do get they have a very user unfriendly attitude and system that people don't want to engage with if feeling rough.

It is a complete and utter waste of everyone’s time and money. People who care about isolating will isolate and tell their contacts themselves. People who don’t care probably didn’t even take a test in the first place. So all they are doing is contacting people who would have isolated anyway without their input.

But can there actually be any recourse if you just hang up on them?

How could there be? The mobile signal here goes in and out all the time. I am forever saying 'hello, hello, I can't hear you' or them saying 'I can't hear anything, are you still there.' I imagine it will be no different if test and trace ring. They can't fine you for having poor mobile reception.

I don't see why you should answer them. I haven't got a smartphone so couldn't have any involvement with track and trace even if I wanted to.

I've actually had a decent experience with T&T today. Emailed the form for me, which I completed. Then got a call this afternoon from LA T&T team for DD who accepted that our household contacts (ie DH and other DC) had already been informed and only wanted to know what school she was at and whether she was in school on Fri. Took under 5 mins.

The barrage of emails and texts though! My mobile and email address are the contact for 3 DC and it is endless as I get separte emails/ texts for everyone! Why they can't treat us as a household unit I have no idea!

Block the number, problem solved. Test and trace is a horrendous waste of time and money, as is the NHS app. Why people are happy to have their privacy invaded and their location known at all times is beyond belief. When are people going to wake up? It's like the bloody Matrix.

I lost track of how many calls I got. I was so ill and didn't answer the phone. I ended up in hospital for 11 days and when I came home there were 2 letters put thru my letterbox saying they had come round. It was bordering on harassment!!

"They can't fine you for having poor mobile reception."

I deliberately give my mobile number and not landline for all covid stuff because I have virtually no mobile reception inside the house. I also intend on ignoring any mobile numbers I don't recognise. I can tell anyone I need to contact, myself.

Tested positive a few days ago. Had email asking me to follow link to give details online. Filled that in and that was it, had no phone calls. Have had texts and emails offering support but no chasing.