No isolation when covid positive in March

[Whathefisgoingon]

I just cannot get my head around this.

As far as I know, no other country has announced this.

For two years they’ve told us that it’s dangerous and now they’re prepared to send me to work directly next to someone infected with covid?

I had always believed it should be more socially acceptable to simply stay home when sick, as too many feel forced in to work with flu etc, but this takes the biscuit.

I understand we need to find a way to get back to some kind of normal but this seems extreme.

Will this really happen in less than 2 months!?

No different for teachers then

Oh bullshit, loads of kids are off school with COVID at the moment and that's been going on from mid December. Ds1 has just tested positive, he has mild cold like symptoms. He'll be at home now for 10 days not in school catching up w much needed gcse teaching.

@nether

It's going to be shit for the critically vulnerable

Who are not all old and terminal, and who include the people least likely to form the intended response to the vaccine.

Basically, don't get cancer,, because you won't be safe if you need chemo, not even in hospitals

My dad is just beginning chemo, is 61 and this does really scare me. Although healthcare staff have mostly had different rules to general population, so I really hope that if we have covid (I work in nhs) they will not be telling us to come on to work.

Look, you alway pop up on these threads with this kind of thing. What do you hope to achieve?

Just because bad things will be done (in the UK) doesn't mean people have to stay silent and/or condone it.

all restrictions will be over next month

I'm referring to mitigations, but if that's what you mean by 'restrictions' than you're right that the UK seems to want to pursue an ableist, ageist, and racist policy. Doesn't make it right or acceptable. Or, given Long Covid disablty, economically sensible.

I think it’s appropriate that we go back to non enforced isolation - antivirals and vaccines are doing the heavy lifting

I agree. And it’s great to read that other CEV people are also coming through Covid.

@Tealightsandd

Look, you alway pop up on these threads with this kind of thing. What do you hope to achieve?

Just because bad things will be done (in the UK) doesn't mean people have to stay silent and/or condone it.

all restrictions will be over next month

I'm referring to mitigations, but if that's what you mean by 'restrictions' than you're right that the UK seems to want to pursue an ableist, ageist, and racist policy. Doesn't make it right or acceptable. Or, given Long Covid disablty, economically sensible.

And you can pop up all you want, that's your prerogative. It still won't change anything.

I don’t think hospitals will go ahead with this. We are all still masked. Visitors have to lateral flow etc. Our patients remain vulnerable.
It’s frustrating that this is happening at the same time as 10% of our workforce are being fired. Cases will go through the roof.

What are others thoughts on this? My kid, vomited a few times today, slept it off and now 100% better. Is soo upset I've told them that they can't go to school for 2 days, as that is the guidelines for v&d. Does no-one adhere to these guidelines. Is this why my kids keep catching it at school? I've always kept them home 48 hrs after last episode so as not to pass it on to others. Which is sooo frustrating as means taking annual leave.

Good. So many people at my company who are isolating as they have covid apparently. We’ve now introduced a rule that anyone who calls in sick due to covid/isolating must present a picture of the positive test result. Amazingly, absences halved last week. We’re lucky as we’re a big company, so can just about call on others to pick up the slack, but smaller businesses must be suffering massively.

And you can pop up all you want, that's your prerogative.

Thank you 😷💉

It still won't change anything.

And it still won't make it morally or (long-term) economically ok.

@Merriwicks I wish your dad all the very best with his chemo

I'd hope you are right - and hospitals and other medical settings will continue with their duty of care to vulnerable patients. HEPA filters would help too.

Thank goodness for common sense! We're in the middle of isolation and all are fit and well. The children have colds but frankly pre covid they would have gone to school as normal. Instead they're missing out on school and roaming around the house perfectly well while we try and work full time.

Difficult @Merriwicks is it likely something they ate rather than a stomach bug?
I bet loads of parents don’t do the 48 hour thing and say nothing.

@9ofpentangles

I know loads of people who send their kids back in too early with d and v. I was hoping that COVID was going to provide a cultural shift in that staff would be more considerate with regards to infecting colleagues and managers would allow them to be ill

That’s very true, I’ve experienced this at my children’s schools. But I’m not sure how to change it unless new rules such as @Wishfulthinking1977 are implemented-full pay for five days for various types of illnesses, including Covid strains, D&V, flu, etc.

Isolation provides a lot of mini "firebreaks" for the virus that slows its spread but, especially in the case of omicron, aren't sufficient to stop the spread. So apart from
"squashing the curve" somewhat, it extends waves rather than stops them.... and with Delta it extended and elongated that wave so remained a feature until the Omicron outbreak.

There's a time and place for squashing the curve (eg health service becoming overwhelmed), but there are disadvantages, for the CEV too.

Elongating waves by suppression measures that aren't sufficient to stop the wave completely risks variant waves running into each other, and for virus levels to remain permanently at levels that someone who is CEV would see as a high risk. Not only is this an issue medically, it's a problem psychologically too, and becomes a permanent feature.

An unmitigated wave will pass through relatively quickly as can be seen both with Covid (in places with few mitigations) and in previous pandemics (the Spanish flu in U.K. had three distinct waves, none of which lasted for more than a matter 6-8 weeks).

The total risk involved in an elongated wave is the same as a sharp wave, just that the latter compresses this into a shorter timeframe. It would be much workable for the CEV to take evasive measures for a few weeks when a surge happened, than to remain (and expect society to remain) on high alert at all time.

Also, the combination of the milder omicron variant, vaccines and anti-virals mean the threat of Covid is much more like the flu now, and very different to 2020.

As a result, I think it's overall a positive thing for those who are CEV for isolation to be removed. Although it may seem counter-intuitive, it will all them to get more back to normal too.

I think the government are just sick of Covid, it’s almost as if they want people to forget it’s existence. I just hope we aren’t on a slippery road, they seem to forget that there are still millions across the world who aren’t vaccinated.

I'm double jabbed & boosted & currently on day 6 of covid & feel knackered & like I have vertigo. I'm SE so it's not the same but don't want everyone expecting people always to be able to turn up for work if they have covid.

@sparklingbrook unfortunately I think it is a bug as had nothing to eat that would cause illness, and was very lethargic after for about 4 hours or so. I was just wondering in parallel comparison to covid with isolation, if we have to isolate for d&v which very very rarely causes anyone to die, what the difference is. Or does no one do the isolation for d&v, chicken pox etc. Or is it just the norm to isolate for those; covid is something new so people are kicking up about it and it is just on the back of the horrible 2 years. If we didn't have those 2 years would people be more willing to stay home to stop it passing on. I was just wondering if there was anyone who wouldn't isolate for covid but does for d&v and reasons. Or is is people who don't isolate for covid also wouldn't isolate for d&v etc. It just occurred to me today because it hit my household. She will be staying off for 2 days no matter how much she protests she is well, she has two kids in her class who get quite sick from simple illnesses like d&v.

Oh wow my brain dump, I hope whoever reads it can make sense of it as I don't have the energy to re-write after my day.

👀

People should stop hiding behind the CEV barrier.

@Livelovebehappy

Good. So many people at my company who are isolating as they have covid apparently. We’ve now introduced a rule that anyone who calls in sick due to covid/isolating must present a picture of the positive test result. Amazingly, absences halved last week. We’re lucky as we’re a big company, so can just about call on others to pick up the slack, but smaller businesses must be suffering massively.

so they haven't cottoned on to sharing test pics or re-using same ones for multiple pictures?

@AnEpisodeOfEastenders

People should stop hiding behind the CEV barrier.

Agreed. That list excluded the vast majority of people at (for many, very) high risk. Millions and millions.

Plus it ignores the fact of Long Covid disablity. Which will put many many more people in the CV group.

I'm hoping so, it's no worse than a cold now.

@CakeRabbit

This is already happening in schools

Not round here it's not. If your school is forcing you to come in then both of you are breaking the law.

@Whyisitsodifficult

Stop bloody testing! You either feel fine and carry on or if feel rough stay at home a bit like we all did pre COVID without anyone losing the plot!

That's what I'm doing from now on. Denmark is getting rid of restrictions on Tues. Only one left is 4 days isolation if you have symptoms. I can't wait.

D&V is a disaster if it gets into a nursing home

@sparklingbrook yes correct for flu but guidelines are 48 hours after last episode of d&v. So for 48 hours you are well before going back to work/school.

I honestly don't thing there is a correct answer. We are all in the same storm, in different boats and it is never going to be possible to make everyone happy. I have kids who I am delighted for everything to end. My kid has never had a normal year of school. I've never got to see a school play, etc etc but on the other hand my parents are both vulnerable. My dad is starting chemo, i want everything to stay shut down and everyone to be vaccinated but don't ask me to vaccinated kids. As you can tell, if I can't even come up with an answer to please myself, 1 person, how is it possible to solve it for everyone. I think we all just need to be more understanding and less gloating of yes open it up. Etc etc and not take into account that we are saying this to people who are possibly so fearful. As fearful as you are of everything shutting down again. And vice versa