Isolation rules confusion

[Badassbreastfeeder85]

I can't make head nor tail of the rules currently, I have tested positive, got a positive on day 6 and 7 too so I've told work I can't return today(day 8) my son tested positive yesterday, as I'm an unvaccinated close contact it seems I'm mean to isolate for 10 days,is this correct? Work are implying they won't pay me if I'm off work due to my son having covid, but he's 9 ok not prepared to leave him home alone to attend work. Whats the rule with regards to childcare? Doubt I'll be able to send him to school or child inder of he's covid positive so what do work expect me to do?

To be honest you have been quite lucky/your child has been fortunate to have good health if he has reached the age of 9 and this has never been an issue before.

Can't you develop a post covid chest infection or something and take another ten days off? I wouldn't normally encourage this but I can see you're stuck!

@Comefromaway

To be honest you have been quite lucky/your child has been fortunate to have good health if he has reached the age of 9 and this has never been an issue before.

Covid hasn't been an issue for the last 9 years tho

Covid is just another infectious illness though. It could equally have been chickenpox.

@Badassbreastfeeder85

So I'm being financially outlined cause my kid is sick and the government say I'm not allowed to send him to school,brilliant

This is not a covid specific problem though is it. What if he had Chicken pox?

Ps what about his dad?

@Frazzled2207 chickenpox doesn't have a legally enforceable isolation,it's also not something that ppl can catch multiple times,unlike covid, also we arent in the middle of a chickenpox pandemic

Ps @frazzled2207 what about him

My point is having to stay home from work because your child is ill is not a covid-specific issue. We all have to deal with These headaches from time time time regardless of the pandemic

I was in the same position recently, if you're on a low income, claim housing benefit or claim working tax credit you're entitled to £500, Google Covid support payment and follow the instructions on gov.uk.

I think pp means can his dad look after him?

I get the feeling you think your employer should be paying you to stay at home with your child. Not employers responsibility I'm afraid.

Hes not ill enough to need to be off school tho,if I was allowed to send him in then I would,that's the annoying thing,he's had worse colds and gone to school

It's just one of those. I'm currently on the second time I've had to do it. There's a £500 grant available from local councils for this exact reason.

It’s not clear what you actually want. Special permission to send your covid positive kid into school? Or paid absence leave for 10 days to look after him? What bit do you feel is unfair to you specifically, that wouldn’t equally apply to all other parents?

[quote Badassbreastfeeder85]@Frazzled2207 chickenpox doesn't have a legally enforceable isolation,it's also not something that ppl can catch multiple times,unlike covid, also we arent in the middle of a chickenpox pandemic[/quote]
No school or nursery will take a child with chickenpox though. Dd had it very mild but was still off for almost 2 weeks til her spots had crusted. Then Ds caught it badly straight afterwards.

@Lemons1571 I feel its unfair I'm not being paid when I can't come to work through mo fault of my own,yet if I called fhe Dr and said I was depressed I'd be signed off with full pay for months,I don't earn enough that I can skip a week of work and it not impact my ability to buy food,I'll look into the grant but will it affect my uc and therefore I'll get the grant and it'll come off my uc so it'll make no difference

OP if your ds has negative lateral flow tests on days 6 and 7 he can then isolation, so it might not be the full 10 days.
But yes, agree with pp this is really just the same as if he had eg chicken pox . A pain, but just one of the joys of being a working parent! Very stresful though I agree.

[quote Badassbreastfeeder85]@Lemons1571 I feel its unfair I'm not being paid when I can't come to work through mo fault of my own,yet if I called fhe Dr and said I was depressed I'd be signed off with full pay for months,I don't earn enough that I can skip a week of work and it not impact my ability to buy food,I'll look into the grant but will it affect my uc and therefore I'll get the grant and it'll come off my uc so it'll make no difference[/quote]
You’d get full pay for months! Wow, you are lucky to get that level of sick pay.

When you have children you have to factor in the fact that if they are sick you have to take time off work and you won’t get paid. Whether it’s Covid or whether it’s chickenpox or any infectious illness (just before Covid in Feb 2020 there was an outbreak of scarlet fever in a local primary school near to me)

It's just one of those things with being a parent, kid cant go to school as they're sick so parent cant go to work.

What did you do before when he has been sick? Surely he's had chickenpox or a stomach bug or something?? Both of those are rather infectious too

@Largethighsbadeyes

I think pp means can his dad look after him?

Indeed whilst a pain it’s not just a mother’s responsibility

Are you sure you won't be paid? If you are paid by the LA you should definitely still be paid. Had the same situation where I work and the school were told in no uncertain terms that staff who were self-isolating or looking after self-isolating children would still be paid.

You've not answered why his dad can't help out OP.

Also as you are unvaccinated I think you should expect more in the way of inconvenience/irritation in the future

@greenweepingwillow I didn't realise that rule was for minors too so that's helpful thank you

@Comefromaway yes I'd get sick pay,don't most employers pay sick pay? If I said I was sick I'd be covered,just not if my dependant son is,should have just lied