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.

My husband is self employed so the threat of a positive is always a frightening thought as he is the main earner. I have 4 school aged children so again don't want them disrupted. But I really think this is going to disrupt schools as all the staff in my school were ill with Covid except 2 young teachers. Alot of staff and pupils and their families are on infection number 2 in the space of a few months. Some weeks. So don't know what's happening regarding immunity there. We will see how it goes but I think schools will be quite disrupted until summer.

I'd like this decided on the science.

"Science" only exists in labs and in reports. In the real world, scientific data has to be balanced with other factors, such as the economy, social life, education, civil liberties and much else besides.

Policies which affect the life of millions are never decided on 'the science'. And that's a good thing.

Thank fuck! We all had to isolate for it last week and it was tedious, especially with no symptoms. This has dominated everyone's lives for too long, after all life is inherently risky.

@user1471509171

My husband is self employed so the threat of a positive is always a frightening thought as he is the main earner. I have 4 school aged children so again don't want them disrupted. But I really think this is going to disrupt schools as all the staff in my school were ill with Covid except 2 young teachers. Alot of staff and pupils and their families are on infection number 2 in the space of a few months. Some weeks. So don't know what's happening regarding immunity there. We will see how it goes but I think schools will be quite disrupted until summer.

Hard to say, but the disruption caused by up to 10 days of isolation for kids and teachers is possibly doing more damage than covid. My husband is a secondary school teacher and currently off with Covid for the second time. He had a heavy cold for the first 2 days so would have taken those off work anyway. But the point is he is now still testing positive and away from work on day 9, when he is well. At his school, huge numbers of sixth formers are currently off. Pretty much all are asymptomatic or had v mild symptoms for the first couple of days, yet many are missing way more school than that.

If people are ill then they will take time off, same as pre-covid, but enforced isolation for 10 days is awful for all involved.

@Sparklingbrook

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.

This isn’t very reassuring to most people. I see it plonked on lots of threads. Unless you’ve personally adjusted your entire life over the past 2 years, it’s hard to really understand what it’s been like in our households. You haven’t lived and breathed it. I still don’t think isolation should continue but just a comment on how “oh X had it and they were fine” feels quite dismissive. Chances are many of us are not going to be fine. Again, not a reason to continue the isolation period but equally, positive stories mean very little out of context.

At the moment, with other infectious diseases, there's guidance and you're expected to use your common sense. So in the chicken pox example, you wouldn't send a child to school/nursery with it but you might put them in the buggy and stand in a far corner of the playground to pick up another child.

You're supposed to keep children off school for 48 hours with D&V but you might take them on an isolated dog walk once the symptoms have stopped and a bit of fresh air might make them feel better.

I think most people have always used their common sense like this. When my DC were little I'd always phone GPs, "we've got X do you want to stay away?" "I won't kiss/hug/sit too close I've got a nasty cold" etc

Workplaces will be able to have their own guidance like they do for other things.

@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.

Usually it comes from people confusing the ONS admittedly very wide definition of long covid with genuine serious impairment. The way the ONS get their data is good, but they've been defining long covid as anyone with symptoms for over 28 days. That means they think you have long covid if you're still a bit tired or not quite shifted the cough on day 29.

The first point on the release says an estimated 1.3 million people have long covid, and people just read that without taking in the second part of the sentence that explains what they actually mean. There's also at least one poster on MN who flat out lied about over 1 million people in the UK having long covid and made up a source when called on it, so it's possible that's being repeated.

That's quite rude @Mickarooni, you have no idea what I have gone through personally these last 2 years. 'Plonked' is also quite rude but I don't think it's a bad thing for people to know that even the most CEV can get Covid and get through it.
It's not fair to share my (or my relative's) whole story on here and it would be most upsetting to do so, so I won't.

Because cases are dropping and hospitals are coping! We don't want to isolate people any longer than absolutely necessary.

Except they also reported on the news that cases have been rising this week according to ONS. I guess as long as hospital admissions don't rise it won't matter.

@Butteryflakycrust83

I HATE THIS COUNTRY.

I honestly, truly hate people. Selfish selfish selfish fucks.

It’s selfish to want to have a life?!

@TheApexOfMyLife

Also, I feel sad for the huge numbers of vulnerable people we are condemning to long term isolation. People on here complain about how difficult it is to isolate for ten days as a reason why isolation should be scrapped but give no thought to the vulnerable who have effectively lived like this for two years.

Yep.
It always looks wonderful when you are not one of those people who are CV.

well are CEV not on full benefits? those who aren't cannot take unpaid time off work protect them indefinitely, or at all for many! its not affordable

well are CEV not on full benefits?
No CEV is such a wide group

well there are still options for CEV to isolate at own expense, wfh,wear masks and SD

@Buzzinwithbez

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.

The difference is that the guidance will be you dint need to self isolate.

That means companies will ask people to come and work.

People will NOT be making their own decisions. They will have no choice really.
Even more so when you have so many people clamouring ‘oh thanks fuck. It has gone on for too long already’.

Nothing to do with being infantilised (we haven’t btw. We’ve had scientist and epidemiologists trying to protect us from a novel disease).
Everything with the fact people are not acting from science (all epidemiologists say the same thing. It’s not a good idea). They just want to forget about restrictions ‘and get on with their life’ as proclaimed so loudly by BJ.

Never mind the decisions don’t make sense on a scientific POV.

well are CEV not on full benefits?

Why would they be? Loads have jobs and bills to pay.

@MrsDeaconClaybourne

Some good points but D&V or even flu don't kill like Covid does plus the boosters effectiveness is wearing off quickly now.

Not a big believer in common sense, everyones version of it is different!

On the wider point "i want my life back" what restrictions are there that limit that?

@StarCat2020

well are CEV not on full benefits? No CEV is such a wide group

In which works are you living that people who are CEV are all unable to work?

Plus even if they were in full benefit, does it mean it’s ok to condemn them to be housebound for the forceable future? You know asking them to do everyday the one thing you dint want to do for 5 small days?

@Tynetime

Because cases are dropping and hospitals are coping! We don't want to isolate people any longer than absolutely necessary.

Except they also reported on the news that cases have been rising this week according to ONS. I guess as long as hospital admissions don't rise it won't matter.

Really? another 2 years of rising waiting lists, 10 million by March 2024 and many more years after that before Hospitals will be "coping"

i was referring to the poster saying they had lived like that (isolating) for 2 years....hence assuming they are being supported financially.

@TheApexOfMyLife its not a small thing though is it? isolate for 5 days? I won't get paid....so what then?

Meh I think it’s time I leave teaching, this has given me the final push.

I think it will remain socially unacceptable to knowingly go out and about with covid for quite some time.

However, the other difference with chicken pox or D&V is that you know you or your child has that illness. With covid people very well may not know either because they’re asymptomatic or think it’s a cold. I suspect the amount of LFTs being done will plummet. Especially when they’re not available free anymore.

@Blubells

Do teachers have some sort of Covid-repelling superpowers?

No but they have an immune system as well as the option to get vaccinated!

I have had 3 vaccines and due a fourth next month. I've had covid twice, most recently in January. Both times it has almost certainly come from school and specifically pupils.

First time I was in hospital and developed a life long health condition. Off work for weeks. Having long covid issues well over a year later and will be on medication for life.

Second time I managed to have antivirals on day 5. So my likelihood of being worse was reduced. I was still pretty poorly for over a week. Been back at work but I'm so tired I go to bed for an hour or so as soon as I get home.

So actually some staff will get it more than once. We've had 3 staff test positive recently who all had it just over a year ago too. All were symptomatic and had the full isolation period off work.

Whilst I don't want restrictions ongoing I'm not convinced having a load of positive children in class together is going to be a great situation for me. But it is what it is. I don't want to give up my job and I want to live my life.

I just hope parents are sensible and don't send children in who are full of cold like symptoms, coughing everywhere. And fwiw pretty much all the children who have been positive recently HAVE been symptomatic - coughing, cold like features, sickness etc

@NearlyAlwaysInsane I don't think politicians should be ignoring the scientific advice on this... thats just arrogant, why have SAGE or a CMO if someone with a PPE degree knows best?

As for Boris bashing? even his new comms director said Bojo is a clown.

@Butteryflakycrust83

I HATE THIS COUNTRY.

I honestly, truly hate people. Selfish selfish selfish fucks.

I'm probably one of those "selfish fucks" as I want to get on with my life.

If you want to lock yourself away from society, by all means crack on, but don't expect the rest of us to follow suit