Will they actually go ahead with the not having to isolate?

[Needtogoonholiday]

Do we think that it will actually happen in March. The not having to isolate if you've got it?

I wonder if testing will stop?

Yes and not before time IMO - bring on the charging for access to free LFT, the end of mask wearing and the rest of the nonsense which has been proven to have marginal affects at best. I will await the usual doomsayers.

@Oliveandshea

I think it's going to be very difficult for some people to adjust

Why?

Because for two years one has been told to stay in if you have any symptoms like covid, and whole classes have been sent home... people have adjusted to that and got used to it.

if they are going to remove isolation for positive covid, then stepping down isolation times gradually, as they are doing will help people adjust.

I hope so. I disagree with isolation when you aren't even sick.

@Littlehouseonthefairy

I hope so. I disagree with isolation when you aren't even sick.

Asymptomatic people can carry as much virus as the ill.

But it looks like soon it's going to be 'every man for himself' in many countries...

For those who choose to be unvaccinated it's going to be a tough one. Guess they will just have to keep testing all the time maybe?, but it might be expensive for them because I doubt tests will stay free. Can't see what else Gov't or the NHS can do for them now

@cantkeepawayforever

However, it really does feel as if removing isolation would bring more children back into schools, but not very many more staff to teach them, as the staff themselves are ill for at least 8-10 days.

I wonder how representative some of the comments about teachers are on here. For months there have been alarming reports from some posters about how schools, both pupils and teachers.

I'm not saying the posts aren't true, just not representative... Based on schools near me, I'd be very surprised if the most teachers who were infected were too I'll to teach for at least 8-10 days.

@Oliveandshea

I think it's going to be very difficult for some people to adjust

Why?

A quick read of threads on here would give you the answer.

Quite a few people can't accept the notion of driving their children to school whilst positive even if they don't get out of the car, "just in case" they have an accident, or walking the dog on a deserted bit of moorland when positive. Psychologically,
many people have light years to travel before they'd be comfortable circulating with Covid in the same way they would if they had a bit of a cold.

Standing all day and projecting your voice for several hours is difficult when you’ve been ill. Some of my colleagues came back straight after having covid then had to have a few more days to recover.

I’ve had mild colds that have stopped me teaching because I steadily lost my voice from not resting it, or I’d have coughing fits after a few minutes of giving instructions.

Yes it will happen, and it’s a good thing. We cannot keep expecting people to stay in for long periods of time, missing out on pay, education and social interaction when they’re not actually that unwell or are asymptomatic. It’s the right time to do it. People will have to re-adjust and be responsible for themselves instead of relying on others.

My husband is self employed and has to test for work. It's stressful as we are always worried he will miss a job, so no isolationis great for that. On the flip side I work in school. Most of the staff are ill when off. Only one member of our school was asymptomatic all the rest have needed 8 -10 days off. Some a lot longer. A lot of us have now had it twice. So not sure what will happen with school? I am a close contact daily at the moment.

I hope it does happen. I have chosen to continue wearing a 'proper mask' when out and will continue to do so until I'm comfortable not to but that's my choice due to my age and my partner's health and I don't see why everyone else should take responsibility for our risk assessment. End the compulsory testing and isolation and leave it up to the individual. As to those not vaccinated from choice - well, there was bound to be a day when they'd have to take responsibility for their decisions as well.

@User0458832
We are in the same situation here.
SE dh and me a teacher. I have been daily testing because of being a close contact for the last 3 weeks.
Biggest worry is dh having to miss work.

Yes

And then I type that and think about people I know who have died or lost loved ones- and there are a few, and it seems awful that people are so dismissive.
Covid has made it abundantly clear how very selfish some people are.

@Flaxmeadow

For those who choose to be unvaccinated it's going to be a tough one. Guess they will just have to keep testing all the time maybe?, but it might be expensive for them because I doubt tests will stay free. Can't see what else Gov't or the NHS can do for them now

I'm confused, why do you think unvaccinated people will keep testing? Surely, like anyone else, they'll stay at home if they feel significantly ill, otherwise go out and about. They'll only know they have Covid if ill enough to be admitted to hospital, which I imagine would also be the case for the rest of the population.

This is actually already how it works, more or less, for under fives in Wales, with a bit more expectation to keep them home if they might have Covid. We no longer routinely test them - haven't done since well before Christmas. So I assume that's how it will go for everyone, whether vaccinated or not.

@2tired2bewitty

Having just spent 10 days stuck at home with no more than the mildest of cold symptoms, I really hope so. I’m also still testing positive on day 11, so not really sure what the point was 🤷‍♀️

That was me too. Luckily I could do some stuff from home but it was our busiest time of year and felt a complete fraud for being home.

And like you I was still testing positive on day 11. Couldn't take son to his game on day 10 but could do as i pleased on day 11.

@Oliveandshea

I think it's going to be very difficult for some people to adjust

Why?

I think people are now used to others having to be off if tested positive even if not ill . I can see it causing problems in my workplace as we have a few very covid nervous people who already comment if others don't sanitise their hands enough etc.

The difficulty with restrictions being removed is that illness is no longer taken seriously, and if you’re genuinely ill with Covid you aren’t guaranteed any time off work. My husband had Covid recently and was quite poorly, his employer was furious and said ‘I had it myself, it was nothing more than a mild flu and I never stopped working’, ‘George in Marketing currently has Covid and he’s working from home and back at work after five days’. Meanwhile my poor husband was actually really poorly and not capable of working for over a week, and he got disciplined for not working from home because ‘Covid is mild now’.

Yes and yes to no testing as what would be the point ? I suspect you won’t be able to get them as easily anyway .

@Pyriah that is the case for lots of illnesses. Where my husband works someone has had the same thing as someone off sick all the time and they carried on working. He always hears it whenever he rings in sick. He came home from hospital with kidney stones once and called in sick for that day, his manager said "I've had that I was fine to work". You name an illness one of the managers has had it and carried on working.

I’m nervous about it because of the risk of long covid. So far I haven’t caught it despite one of my DC having it but without isolation the risk will be higher. It’s naive to think I’ll avoid it forever but I was rather hoping I’d get it when we are into another variant where hopefully it’s even milder and long covid doesn’t happen at all!

I think it will come in and I certainly hope it does
Might even come in sooner

@Pyriah

The difficulty with restrictions being removed is that illness is no longer taken seriously, and if you’re genuinely ill with Covid you aren’t guaranteed any time off work. My husband had Covid recently and was quite poorly, his employer was furious and said ‘I had it myself, it was nothing more than a mild flu and I never stopped working’, ‘George in Marketing currently has Covid and he’s working from home and back at work after five days’. Meanwhile my poor husband was actually really poorly and not capable of working for over a week, and he got disciplined for not working from home because ‘Covid is mild now’.

That’s the same for a lot of illnesses though. Lots of people loaning about others not working because of a cold, as cold as so mild and they themselves manage to work through. Apart from sometimes cold do hot people very hard and I’d much more than mild symptoms. This isn’t covid specific, the attitude to people being sick needs to change in general, but isolation when you’re asymptomatic or only have mild symptoms isnt the answer.

@FlamingRoses

I’m nervous about it because of the risk of long covid. So far I haven’t caught it despite one of my DC having it but without isolation the risk will be higher. It’s naive to think I’ll avoid it forever but I was rather hoping I’d get it when we are into another variant where hopefully it’s even milder and long covid doesn’t happen at all!

I don’t think we’ll ever get to a stage where long covid doesn’t happen at all. People get post viral syndrome from many illnesses including colds and flu, we just didn’t used to hear about it as much.

My friend’s DS went back to work on day 5 because he wasn’t getting paid if not working.
A lot of people seem to have decided not to stick to the rules now they know it’s changing in March.