How do you feel about testing/isolation ending?

[Usernumber5253747293]

If it happens ^

I was speaking to a relative earlier and I was saying how glad I will be when and if all the isolation and testing rules end. It's not that I don't take covid seriously, because we really have. I spent nearly 2 years being so anxious about getting to catching it and being fine!! I know not everyone gets away with it's so mildly but my experience of covid wasn't too bad at all!

Anyway, both dc have sen. Isolation periods have been hard (Dd has had covid twice) m, holding down to test them has been hard, waiting for test results etc. I can't bloody wait to feel like I don't have to anymore. We all had covid in December. The isolation period was hell, far worse than the actual illness. My dc were climbing the walls! Dc had barely any symptoms really and found the isolation hard.

Of course if dc were ill I'd keep them off until better as I would have before covid. I've always kept my kids away from people when germy.

My relative is moaning about all the rules ending and how it will spread it! Which is ironic as they were very poorly last month with covid symptoms and didn't test or isolate but that's another story 😅

I just feel people should use their common sense. If you feel ill, stay home. If you have to go out when ill don't go too close to people, wash your hands and practise good respiratory hygiene!

It's a good thing right? Surely I'm not the only one waiting ever so patiently for any announcement over it 😅

never worn a N95 mask in all this time!

I work in a very busy store so i'm not sure I would know which customers are CEV or not, not sure how that would work

i know colleagues who have CEV family members but we can't just start avoiding people

My family has been minimising risk of us passing things on to my CEV sibling for a long time prior to covid. People are lucky if they haven’t had to consider that until covid tbh. I am an HCP, will be in PPE for a while yet I’m sure.

Based on the omicron variant I would say I am ready to go back to normality. I have it at the moment and it is affecting me no differently to a fairly bad winter cold. If I didn't have to isolate I would have been able to carry on as normal, albeit feeling a bit under the weather. I appreciate that is not the same for everyone though and this is the dilemma. In a normal year some people die of flu but if even the relatively mild omicron is causing a much higher death rate and large numbers are still getting 'long covid' then I feel for all those people who have to worry about going out, going to work etc.

The failure to update the guidelines has kept many people from testing anyway. Going out during half term and also getting on the tube it was apparent that half the population probably has or recently had Omicron. People are obviously out and about with stuffy colds combined with the occasional cough or hoarse throat and that what Omnicron is for most people.

Also, I think we must not get complacent and think this is all over because the virus keeps evolving. There should be adequate funding to keep research going to monitor this and to prepare for new vaccines and I suspect they are going to be needed eventually.

I’ve been very understanding of everyone’s difficulties in many different ways over the last couple of years. I have to be, in my job - I see the long term impacts both of covid itself and of restrictions. There comes a point where everyone has to stop screaming “you don’t care about people like ME” at each other

@OhYouBadBadKitten

Can I ask that if you know someone is CEV, you let them know if you Covid symptoms and that if you have to work alongside someone who is CEV that you don't go in symptomatic or at the very least wear a decent mask yourself. And wear a mask if you are in a crowded space with symptoms to reduce our risk further. N95 masks aren't perfect but if both the vulnerable and the symptomatic wear them, the chance of passing it on drops to very low.

It feels as though some of you want to punish those of us for being or CV/CEV. As though we are personally responsible for the hell of the last two years.

I don’t think people want to punish those who are CEV, and I do feel sorry for those who are. But honestly, no I’m not going to wear a N95 mask, or any mask, whilst out and about. I’ll be staying in if I’m actually unwell as I do for every illness, but if I’ve got a mild cold I’m not going to be testing so won’t know if I have it or not and I’m certainly not staying in for a mild cold. I think it’s time now for everyone to take take responsibility for themselves. I don’t have time or the brain space to worry about every person I pass whilst out, or think about masks or anything else Covid related when there’s no restrictions any more.

I’m not sure how I feel, it all feels a bit surreal still

I lived in Hong Kong for a while and there nearly everyone wore a mask in crowded places if they had a cold or cough out of courtesy for others. I would consider doing that from now on.

Also, I think LFTs should remain available so that people have the option to test if they are concerned and venues should be allowed to ask people to test if they chose to (or at least to suggest it). It ought to be standard practice when visiting care homes or hospital wards full of vulnerable patients.

this isn't Hong Kong. Have you seen the state of that country right now?

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/16/hong-kong-coronavirus-surge-cases/

you are suggesting going backwards, testing,masks....no. we have got our cases down, we have good vaccination programme showing results

I am pretty relieved about it and glad things are going back to normal. My life has been back to normal for quite a while, but there's a bit of a shadow with the threat of isolation hanging over you, so will be glad when that's gone. I wfh so that's not a problem, but planning things like social events and holidays has had the worry of having to cancel last minute, so it'll be nice to feel more relaxed about that.

Too much at once. People with Covid should isolate. If I get it I will be doing so. Also I'll still be testing before visiting my CEV father.

@CarrieBlue

Really really worried. Not everyone gets a truly mild case, in fact everyone I know who has had it recently has had an unpleasant case, children included.

I feel really upset by the triumphalism about it all too from some people, it’s very brexit-reminiscent and very uncaring about those who are concerned - it’s not pleasant.

I agree with this 👆 We are all sick to the back teeth of it all. We all want it to be over, but deciding to act as if it’s over, won’t make it be over 🤷‍♀️ The scientists who know if what they speak are very concerned, as this is clearly a political ‘Mr Popular’ move, rather than one in the interests if public health. If we are abandoning testing and people are no required to isolate if they have the disease (giving the message that there’s no need to be careful any longer), how the hell are we supposed to identify a new (possibly more deadly) variant, before it takes hold?

It's everywhere anyway with all the current rules!

Treat the same as other flu type illnesses. Few deaths from covid now. No restrictions anymore.

I have found it really depressing to see how little people care about others during the pandemic. As in how little they value the lives of others if it inconveniences them even slightly.

The sacrifices that we've all made, especially the young, have been absolutely huge and many are suffering mentally, educationally and financially as a result!

The scientists who know if what they speak are very concerned, as this is clearly a political ‘Mr Popular’ move, rather than one in the interests if public health.

So, once again, why are other countries doing pretty much the same thing?

@Nutella22

Nervous. I assume that infection rates, hospitalisations and deaths will rise even further. I don't know what the solution is and know we can't carry on like this forever but ending mandatory isolation (assuming testing will also be scrapped soon) when 1 in 20 are estimated to have Covid in England (and although they are dropping slowly- hospitalisations and deaths are still very high) does not seem like the right time to me. I'd feel better if there was some scientific basis behind it but it's just feels like an attempt by Boris to appease his backbenchers and save his job.

I think I'd have to agree with this too.

A lot of the data they hold isn't true as so many people are not testing if they have it and even if they do, they're not reporting the results. So the number of cases are a lot higher.

No one wants Covid. Everyone wants life to go back to normal but people do not want to play their part in helping to lessen the cases.

@TheKeatingFive

The scientists who know if what they speak are very concerned, as this is clearly a political ‘Mr Popular’ move, rather than one in the interests if public health.

So, once again, why are other countries doing pretty much the same thing?

Examples?

@RichTeaRichTea

I’ve been very understanding of everyone’s difficulties in many different ways over the last couple of years. I have to be, in my job - I see the long term impacts both of covid itself and of restrictions. There comes a point where everyone has to stop screaming “you don’t care about people like ME” at each other

Yes to this- I agree.

When rules relax CEV people feel forgotten.

When rules tighten people whose lives are made hell by isolation feel forgotten.

No one group trumps the other.

But we have isolated as long as anyone should reasonably expect. It has had benefits but it has ruined lives, created or worsened MH conditions, lost livelihoods, stolen childhood years, left diagnoses too long, left people to die alone, robbed human connection etc etc etc..

It is time to move on.

@AndAsIfByMagic

and where does the lost wages come from? you going to pay people to isolate are you in your little fairytale world?

It's called sick pay. It's money you get when you can't work due to illness. Surprised you didn't know that.

And masks aren't long gone. No need to lie. Many places still require them. And still will.

You do realise that many many people don't get sick pay but get SSP instead which isn't enough to live off.

Oh and then the self employed- you forgot about them too. No sick pay whatsoever.

Relieved I don't live in England.

I am very relieved that these rules are now going, or will at worst be guidance only rather than any form of mandate.

Good riddance.

We need to learn to live with this thing and relearn the art of using common sense. If you are ill stay at home and don't be near vulnerable people unnecessarily. Such as if I have a cold or the flu then I will not visit my extremely vulnerable elderly mother until I am better. It was always like that.

Anyone who wishes to continue isolating can still do so if they wish, but unless they are able to work from home they are likely to find their employers becoming much less accepting of it, especially if the employee is actually not even ill.

As an employer they will be expected to come in

We can't support the absences any longer, and this weekend we've seen more than ever with the change of rules looming

They want to get in their paid covid related time off before it's gone

It's called sick pay. It's money you get when you can't work due to illness. Surprised you didn't know that.

I am self employed. If I do not work, I do not get paid. If I repeatedly sob off work due to childcare reasons, I will lose clients and they will never come back. My income is STILL substantially lower than it was pre-pandemic for all these reasons.

I'm CEV so a bit concerned for myself (immunosuppressed, four vaccines but not sure how well or if they've worked). I'll have to avoid public transport/busy places on the advice of my consultant, so my hopes of going to gigs again have been dashed! Also I don't drive so I have no idea how I'll be getting anywhere. My PT usage has been low anyway on and off for the past two years so I'm sure I'll cope.

However I understand that everything can't stand still for 65m people because of the concerns of half a million people. People cannot afford to lose ten days' pay and DC need to be in school. 'Protecting the vulnerable' has been a thing for almost two years and I'm grateful to everyone who selflessly has done so, but now it's time for you to have your lives back. As much has been done for us as can be done, but life is for living, and young people especially have sacrificed enough.

Doesn't mean I'm not envious however

Glad. DS and I had covid recently and it was no worse than a cold. It was very frustrating losing a week of education and being housebound for 10 days for that.

Having said that, we have got over it. Would we feel the same way if we had long covid?

I think a middle ground might be best. We can continue to wear masks in busy places and test before seeing someone CEV. I wouldn't mind that. But I think to expect isolation is just not workable as people will stop testing.