End of isolation

[AnEpisodeOfEastenders]

Boris Johnson has indicated the requirement to isolate after a positive Covid test will be scrapped at the end of this month. All I can say is about time too! Let's get back to life.

Another issue is the fact that we know vaccines are waning over time. Or that least this one is (wo talking about whether it would work on another variant).

So we were well protected this time around thanks to vacciné plus booster.

What will happen in a couple months time with levels still high but less immunity?

Yes it would feel really nice to think that it’s all over. But that’s not the case. I mean proper scientists don’t think it’s the end game. So why are we acting as if it was?

It's wonderful news. I feel extremely fortunate to not be CEV. For CEV folks the existence of a new virus was always going to be a terrible thing. It's another thing that will make their life more difficult and for that I am sorry. But the reasons given here for maintaining restrictions feel weak (teachers! Long covid! Death rates that are the same as flu death rates!). There was always going to be a moment when things got 'back to normal' and I think we are almost there..

@doublemonkey

I love how a tiny minority are calling the rest of us selfish for being happy we're getting back to normal.

I think those people are just generally miserable and lead very boring dull lives, and they feel the rest of us should too.

This is about politics - not health… another dead cat!

Meantime back in the land of being self -employed and having Long Covid, this is just a continuation of the nightmare for our family.

@StarCat2020

As opposed the the huge backlog that has now built up of people waiting for treatment. From 1600 pre pandemic to over 300,000 now If anything this may make dealing with the backlog harder.

Tory cuts

You missed out the letter 'n'. Fixed that for you.

There is something I don’t understand. Maybe some posters will be able to explain that to me.

So if my child has chickenpox, they are supposed to stay at home until the spots have scabbed over. That’s because otherwise they are contagious and they would be dangerous to people who vulnerable (eg someone who is pregnant, chemo etc…)
If someone has D&V they are supposed to stay at home for 48hours until they last had D or V. That’s to avoid spreading D&V to everyine and infect the most vulnerable.

But if someone has covid, they can go round wo any restriction and that’s not an issue…..

WHY??

Or are we saying that children with chickenpox don’t need to stay at home anymore and can go to school as soon as they are well enough. Envers mind that the whole class will go down with it.
Same with D&V.

It will make things easier for parents that’s sure….

I'm so worried about it too. As loads of replies here suggest, people will go out and spread it if they're not feeling ill.

It's already spreading and has been for the past two years despite restrictions and forced isolations.

We need to build up immunity through infection and vaccination.

You missed out the letter 'n'. Fixed that for you.

@Whammyyammy

Absolutely brilliant news. Scrap all restrictions and policy and get on with life living with covid.

I'd like this decided on the science. Around 260 people are dying of CV every day, thats over 94,000 people per year who aren't Living with Covid.

The one on R4 wasn't keen on it at all, pointing out Omicron is a very serious illness if you have no previous immunity.

but maybe isolation doesn't really work/few do it and hardly anyone wear masks, so maybe it doesn't matter what Bozo says?

As a pregnant primary teacher, this scares me a bit. The messaging for pregnant women has been woefully unclear throughout, but what we are constantly told is it could be really dangerous, especially in third trimester. I don't feel comfortable going into a classroom of 30 unvaccinated 5 year olds who have little personal hygiene skills, knowing that many of them have covid. We have 6 off currently, and if they were in school that number would probably at least double.

I don’t think it’s right to completely scrap all restrictions at one time.

I think they should start with scrapping the 10 days isolation for close contacts for the unvaccinated.

Then they should reduce the isolation time for those who are positive.

If these things go well after a few weeks then they can scrap the restrictions all together but I don’t see the point in rushing in to it and then bringing back restrictions if it doesn’t work.

We are currently seeing some of the highest numbers of cases so it’s odd they’re doing it now.
Many PPs forget how hard it is for some people to get time off work/paid for being off.
Fortunately most people I know have had it mild but they still felt like crap for a couple of days.

Already there are well over a million people who can't work because of long Covid complications

Where does this figure come from... January's ONS survey estimated there were 247,000 who had long Covid symptoms where their ability to undertake their day-to-day activities had been “limited a lot”. Of course, that's a really high figure, and not to be disregarded, but many of those won't be working age or in the labour market, reducing the number who may be claiming benefits significantly from 247,000.

@forivfssake

As a pregnant primary teacher, this scares me a bit. The messaging for pregnant women has been woefully unclear throughout, but what we are constantly told is it could be really dangerous, especially in third trimester. I don't feel comfortable going into a classroom of 30 unvaccinated 5 year olds who have little personal hygiene skills, knowing that many of them have covid. We have 6 off currently, and if they were in school that number would probably at least double.

If they were in school, they'd probably almost all get it... and it would be done... (at least until another variant).

Excellent news.

Good! My 10 year old has been sobbing tonight because she thinks she's ruined her 15 year old sisters birthday tomorrow because she's got covid. Broke my fucking heart, poor girl. At 39, I'm lucky to have living Grandparents but I wouldn't see them if I wasn't feeling well anyway. Surely it's about common sense.

@Alexandra2001 I'd like this decided on the science.

But that's the point, isn't it. It's not just about the science - and science is a means to an end - what are we using the science for? It's not to achieve zero covid - as that is not possible - so it must be to move towards opening up society as much as possible (which is what we're doing). And those decisions are never 'scientific', but political and social. Because scientists work for society, they don't get to make big social decisions because they were not elected to do so. Guess who was? Our politicians. And if you don't like them? Don't vote them next time.....

As for the Tory-bashing here (disclaimer: not a Tory), t gets tiresome. BoJo could have made the best decisions ever and still the haters would criticise. Probably the same ones who love what Ardern is putting NZ through.

@treeflowercat

Already there are well over a million people who can't work because of long Covid complications

Where does this figure come from... January's ONS survey estimated there were 247,000 who had long Covid symptoms where their ability to undertake their day-to-day activities had been “limited a lot”. Of course, that's a really high figure, and not to be disregarded, but many of those won't be working age or in the labour market, reducing the number who may be claiming benefits significantly from 247,000.

I can tell you that many people don’t even bother to go and see their GP about it. They just struggle through instead. Trying their best to cope by reducing anything else they do outside of work.

So you might nit see those people who are been seriously limited. It doesn’t mean they dint exist

Absolutely brilliant news. I had written to my MP about this earlier this year so am glad to hear it is finally happening. About time too!

The ONS survey is nothing to do with GP's. They randomly sample households with surveys.

@TheApexOfMyLife

'So if my child has chickenpox, they are supposed to stay at home until the spots have scabbed over. That’s because otherwise they are contagious and they would be dangerous to people who vulnerable (eg someone who is pregnant, chemo etc…)
If someone has D&V they are supposed to stay at home for 48hours until they last had D or V. That’s to avoid spreading D&V to everyine and infect the most vulnerable.

But if someone has covid, they can go round wo any restriction and that’s not an issue….'

No, if someone has covid it will become the same as chicken pox or D&V or flu, there will be guidance.

There are no restrictions on people with chickenpox, just guidance. Covid will be the same.

We will need to manage covid in the same way as other contagious illnesses.

@TheApexOfMyLife

There is something I don’t understand. Maybe some posters will be able to explain that to me.

So if my child has chickenpox, they are supposed to stay at home until the spots have scabbed over. That’s because otherwise they are contagious and they would be dangerous to people who vulnerable (eg someone who is pregnant, chemo etc…)
If someone has D&V they are supposed to stay at home for 48hours until they last had D or V. That’s to avoid spreading D&V to everyine and infect the most vulnerable.

But if someone has covid, they can go round wo any restriction and that’s not an issue…..

WHY??

Or are we saying that children with chickenpox don’t need to stay at home anymore and can go to school as soon as they are well enough. Envers mind that the whole class will go down with it.
Same with D&V.

It will make things easier for parents that’s sure….

They’re getting rid of legal requirements to isolate, not saying please go out and cough on people if you’re ill. There’s not a legal requirement to isolate with either of your examples unless I’ve missed something.

@forivfssake

As a pregnant primary teacher, this scares me a bit. The messaging for pregnant women has been woefully unclear throughout, but what we are constantly told is it could be really dangerous, especially in third trimester. I don't feel comfortable going into a classroom of 30 unvaccinated 5 year olds who have little personal hygiene skills, knowing that many of them have covid. We have 6 off currently, and if they were in school that number would probably at least double.

Are you vaccinated? The messaging has not always been clear but the evidence has consistently been clear over recent weeks. It is unvaccinated pregnant women who are at higher risk. Pregnancy does increase Covid risk but it increases risk to all viruses.

There are no restrictions on people with chickenpox, just guidance. Covid will be the same.

I think where the problem lies is that people will generally keep their child away from others with chicken pox (not necessarily home) or at least check with people they are meeting up with. They're used to making their own decisions - and generally when trusted people make reasonable ones.

It's going to take people a while to be used to making their own decisions with covid because of the way we've been infantilised as a population over the last two years.
If we'd had a bit more nuance in the past, it might not be such a worry!

Hopefully schools and workplaces will be supportive of people who are ill and need time at home to recuperate.

However I like to travel and my selfish concern is that due to this strategy other countries will require expensive tests and quarantine before they let me in.

I doubt it. Within weeks or months they'll be doing the same thing themselves. They will have to. Enforced isolation for a usually mild illness simply isn't sustainable much longer.

Great news. Even my CEV relative in the most at risk group thinks so. They caught Covid, we all held our breath but they had already had 4 jabs, and they got access to antivirals so had a half an hour drip and all was well, they missed a week's treatment, but back on track now.