Is the new potential 7 day isolation period for kids too?

[KL92xxxx]

My toddler has had a cold since Monday, very mild, no temp no cough and been absolutely fine in himself. Didn’t think anything of it as he has a cold every other week. I came down with what i assume is same ‘cold’ on Wednesday and on my usual lateral flow I always do every few days I was negative. Again no coronavirus symptoms just a mild blocked nose.

This morning on my lateral flow test I’m positive so I’m assuming this ‘cold’ is now actually Covid? It’s got slightly worse but pre pandemic I would definitely still go to work feeling like this so not that bad at all. Anyway I took my little boy and we’ve both had PCRs this afternoon.

Presumably we’ll both be positive, but if it is this cold that’s Covid he’s now on his day 5 and I’m on day 3 - so would we do lat flows on our respective day 6 and 7 and if negative okay to not isolate? I don’t know how it works for kids. I don’t even know if I should be counting these cold symptoms as Covid symptoms although from the sound of everyone else this is the main symptom now!

I think they count the days from the test not symptoms….

Oh really, it says date of symptoms on the page I found, 7 days (providing relevant negative tests) from symptoms or 10 days if you don’t have any symptoms. How strange, I’ll double check.

Yep it definitely says ‘date symptoms started’…I don’t know whether my toddler might actually be negative now as his ‘cold’ is a load better today. Feeling sort of bad I didn’t get him tested but he’s been so okay. Out of all the stuff he brings home from nursery this has been a walk in the park.

My DC tested positive this week and 7 days does apply for children (we are in England, not sure if it's all of UK). But he hasn't really had symptoms so it was based on date of positive LFT and PCR.

I'm confused about this whole "date symptoms started" because I've had this cold for a month and just tested positive yesterday so how does this work 🙃

I think unless you can be sure his symptoms have been due to covid, which in all honesty you can’t, then day one should be the date of the test. If like you say , if you’d have tested him sooner, you’d know if the symptoms from last week were covid or not. Worse thing you could do is shorten his isolation period now and risk giving the virus to others. 🤷‍♀️

Day symptoms started or date PCR taken if no symptoms is effectively day 0.
Isolation is for the following 7 full days, negative LFTs needed day 6 and 7.

I had a cold for weeks before getting a positive so I timed it from my test date, it was impossible to tell when Covid had started.

I read it from symptoms starting AND the next 10 (or 7) days

The screenshot says from day of symptoms and the next 10 days or from the date of the test (if no symptoms) and the next 10 days.

Also, it's not 7 days. It's 10 days but only if you test negative after day 6+7 that you can leave isolation. From my experience not many people test negative at day 6 and 7.... we've had it in the whole family and no one has been free before day 8!

As above DD is day 7 today but still showing a faint positive.

well, fingers crossed, toddler is 90% better. hoping his pcr will come back negative only so him and his dad can go for a walk each day to get some fresh air.