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 😅

i think thats a reasonable cost

[quote BeenToldComputerSaysNo]@1dayatatime interesting. Add higher (is it 2x?) Brexit costs into the mix and where do we end up? [/quote]
Where we end up is with some difficult choices. The Government cannot really raise taxation more, the top 1% of earners already pay 28% of all income tax revenue. Raising it on middle incomes is electoral suicide.

As for cutting spending the main areas of spending are:

1. State Pensions - cutting this is also electoral suicide as older people vote
2. NHS - post Covid and given the waiting list backlog and electoral support this is not an option
3. Education- the more likely cut, young people don't vote and given the Daily Mail esque whipping of teachers during the pandemic they may find support from older voters. Other areas of spending are not significant enough to make any real difference.

Or most likely the Government could choose to try and inflate the debt away but once the inflation genie is out of the bottle it is extremely painful to stop it (eg massive recession in the 80s).

In short whatever the decision the young will suffer, the question is whether electorally they will do anything about it.

Don't self-isolate just stay at home and avoid contact with other people!

@Halloweenrainbow

Don't self-isolate just stay at home and avoid contact with other people!

Yeah this does not make any sense to me whatsoever

Will we be fully paid to not isolate but stay at home?

It’s just saying “you won’t be legally obliged to isolate but are still advised to” isn’t it? That makes sense?

Nobody will bother then

@GoldenOmber

It’s just saying “you won’t be legally obliged to isolate but are still advised to” isn’t it? That makes sense?

Except employers aren't legally obliged to agree to it so...

@GirlInACountrySong

Nobody will bother then

But we manage most health stuff by advising people rather than making it law? It’s not against the law to have unprotected sex with casual partners, or take your kids out to visit Granny when they’ve got chicken pox, or sneeze without using a tissue, but most of us can manage these things without having it be enforced by law.

I do think we need better sick pay and employment protections, not just for covid, because it would help health in general. But I disagree with the idea that nobody would ever bother doing anything unless there was a law telling them to.

I feel so very conflicted about it all, and in 'real life' that feels more like the reaction I'm coming across rather than all doom and gloom or all merry rejoicing. I was surprised how emotional the announcement made me feel - a bit like when the first lockdown came in. I think it's because I do - like most of us do! - want this to be over so badly, and gosh, wouldn't it be nice if this really WAS the beginning of the end of it all?

I'm concerned for my vulnerable child though, who we were told could be vaccinated because of her vulnerablities but because she's had Covid can't get it yet. In fact, she'll only be able to get it in mid-April, so feeling anxious about that and hoping that the good news re Omicron reinfection rates (for those who've already had Omicron) continues and that there are no new variants on the horizon.

I do also think it's absolute madness to change the SSP rules back again - we already have SUCH a shit sick pay system here, and this makes it pretty much impossible for anyone relying on SSP to isolate even as guidance. That's just stupid and cruel, I think.

I'm feeling apprehensive about going to work positive tomorrow. I work with clinically vulnerable children but can't afford to be off. Today is day 7 for me and I'm still achey and testing positive. I think after years of being told going out with it will kill people it's hard to get past that in your head.

I came into work this morning to an update message that obviously if we are "too sick to work" with covid, we should stay home, but if feeling "well enough" to work, we should be in work if we test positive from tomorrow, and a reminder we don't need to test anymore if we don't wish to.

So that's that then.

Also speaking to a mother who was glad her dc with covid can get back to school a few days early tomorrow.

I know people are desperate to get staff back into work because of the problems caused by isolation. However my concern is that it’s just going to make things much worse when the whole workplace comes down with it at once.

It doesn’t feel particularly well thought through. Also are companies just ignoring the advice that we ought to still be isolating if we can?

@okelydokelyneighbourino

I'm feeling apprehensive about going to work positive tomorrow. I work with clinically vulnerable children but can't afford to be off. Today is day 7 for me and I'm still achey and testing positive. I think after years of being told going out with it will kill people it's hard to get past that in your head.

Make this make sense to me. We’ve got a covid positive person being forced to go to work with vulnerable children. How is this acceptable?

I shouldn't think so.
Childminders have been told they must still close if there is a positive case in their household (but will still be sent children who are positive), and there's no financial compensation, not for the childminders or for the parents affected.

This virus is supposed to be over with, we're told we have to learn to live with it, yet it's so dangerous that childminders are being told to close if there is a case in their homes.
So which is it?

Tricky situation for childminders. Or any self employed

Anyone off with covid is fully paid today, but if they aren't back tomorrow it goes down as a sickness. Crazy

@Florelei

I know people are desperate to get staff back into work because of the problems caused by isolation. However my concern is that it’s just going to make things much worse when the whole workplace comes down with it at once.

It doesn’t feel particularly well thought through. Also are companies just ignoring the advice that we ought to still be isolating if we can?

The thinking is that people are being exposed all the time, whether they know it or not. The chances are that the person who is ill is the only source of covid in that workplace is small - just like with colds. Everyone will be exposed as they go about their daily business, often from asymptomatic people.

At the same time, a lot of the gaps in services we are seeing are caused by people isolating who aren't really sick at all.

So on balance, a lot of problems being caused to try and prevent something in a very ineffective way.

I’m in school and just been told we are no longer testing twice weekly. Feels a bit strange but glad for the environment .

@okelydokelyneighbourino if you’re still ill you shouldn’t go in just as before Covid.

Do you not get any sick pay at all?

Also speaking to a mother who was glad her dc with covid can get back to school a few days early tomorrow.

I bet she is. Children have missed do much school over the past two years and their education and mental health has suffered. If her child has GCSES or A level exams in a couple of months she must be particularly relieved!

People will have been mulling around with covid for weeks now

People were told weeks ago to rely on lft for positive results and so they had no reason to isolate as no one would know

My ds have covid now - no pcr and no one knows. He’ll be going school tomorrow. He’s been off last 3 days as he’s been unwell with it but today (day 4) hrs fine so he’ll be in tomorrow as per guidelines

People forget that not all have symptoms with covid so are out and about

All the way through some people never tested

Not all those positive isolated anyway

Tomorrow isn’t going to be this massive difference - it’s been gradually going that way for months

Bluebells my eldest ds has gcses this term

Half our house has covid but I’ve no intention of testing him even if unwell as he’s not missing school anymore

No one I know is testing

Even those I know positive don’t pcr and don’t isolate

@Watapalava

People will have been mulling around with covid for weeks now

People were told weeks ago to rely on lft for positive results and so they had no reason to isolate as no one would know

My ds have covid now - no pcr and no one knows. He’ll be going school tomorrow. He’s been off last 3 days as he’s been unwell with it but today (day 4) hrs fine so he’ll be in tomorrow as per guidelines

People forget that not all have symptoms with covid so are out and about

All the way through some people never tested

Not all those positive isolated anyway

Tomorrow isn’t going to be this massive difference - it’s been gradually going that way for months

You say he’s going into school as per the guidelines- do the guidelines actually say you should go into school if you know you have covid please? I thought they told you to stay home if possible and minimise contact with others? Have I missed something?

Sorry yes they do say that

But there’s no legal obligation

So he’s going to school