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 😅

@AndAsIfByMagic

It will never go away, ever! We don't regularly test and isolate for any other illness all of which could be potentially harmful to someone clinically vulnerable. People walking around asymptomatically or knowingly carrying a virus is not a new thing, it's happened since time began and will always do so, the illusion that we could somehow stop this from happening is just a mystical pipe dream.

There are very few illnesses as infectious and dangerous as Covid can be that are asymptomatic. Flu wipes you out so you can't spread it around. Your logic is faulty.

It isn't asking too much to keep the basic precautions to keep the vulnerable safe. Unless you're utterly selfish, of course.

Don't be ridiculous! There's enough knowledge and PPE and other measures in place so the vulnerable in the community can keep themselves safe

The rest of us have businesses to run, mortgages to pay

It's selfish of YOU to say the majority of society should be locked away and/or restricted!!!

I'll happily wear a selfish badge too

Very happily!

It isn't asking too much to keep the basic precautions to keep the vulnerable safe. Unless you're utterly selfish, of course

Two years on, lots of successful vaccines and treatments, it’s now more selfish for you to suggest that people isolate, lose pay and business, as well as all the other implications such as mental health, access to healthcare etc for a virus that is mild for most.

@AndAsIfByMagic

It will never go away, ever! We don't regularly test and isolate for any other illness all of which could be potentially harmful to someone clinically vulnerable. People walking around asymptomatically or knowingly carrying a virus is not a new thing, it's happened since time began and will always do so, the illusion that we could somehow stop this from happening is just a mystical pipe dream.

There are very few illnesses as infectious and dangerous as Covid can be that are asymptomatic. Flu wipes you out so you can't spread it around. Your logic is faulty.

It isn't asking too much to keep the basic precautions to keep the vulnerable safe. Unless you're utterly selfish, of course.

So much has been done to prove that people aren’t selfish, massive sacrifices for two years.

Yet it’s held up as some kind of threat so people do what others want for them.

Vaccination is what is there as a precaution plus treatments, that people managed to get that out in record time

As for how long - that is often skipped over.

The balance of probability is that new variants will be along at some point in the future that will or won't be more harmful than Omicron. Is it a case of make hay while the sun shines and use this time to return to normality as there could come a time when restrictions are needed?

@AndAsIfByMagic

It will never go away, ever! We don't regularly test and isolate for any other illness all of which could be potentially harmful to someone clinically vulnerable. People walking around asymptomatically or knowingly carrying a virus is not a new thing, it's happened since time began and will always do so, the illusion that we could somehow stop this from happening is just a mystical pipe dream.

There are very few illnesses as infectious and dangerous as Covid can be that are asymptomatic. Flu wipes you out so you can't spread it around. Your logic is faulty.

It isn't asking too much to keep the basic precautions to keep the vulnerable safe. Unless you're utterly selfish, of course.

Actually it IS asking too much to expect people to go 10 days with no pay. People in poverty are vulnerable too.

@mrshoho

The balance of probability is that new variants will be along at some point in the future that will or won't be more harmful than Omicron. Is it a case of make hay while the sun shines and use this time to return to normality as there could come a time when restrictions are needed?

The law is ending in March to allow the government powers to implement legal restrictions. A new law would have to be passed in future which they will struggle to get support for so likely just guidance for future variants if needed.

There are very few illnesses as infectious and dangerous as Covid can be that are asymptomatic. Flu wipes you out so you can't spread it around. Your logic is faulty.

Not true. Flu can be asymptomatic and very dangerous to the vulnerable m!

It isn't asking too much to keep the basic precautions to keep the vulnerable safe. Unless you're utterly selfish, of course

Actually a 10 day isolation is asking too much from a lot of people who need to be at work or in education!

There are lots of people who can't pay their mortgage or heating costs unless they work. And there are lots of school pupils with GCSE or A level exams coming up who can't afford to miss any more school.

Your attitude is selfish imo.

Flu can be asymptomatic but it is not really known how much asymptomatic people can spread the flu virus. That's the difference.

@Blubells

There are very few illnesses as infectious and dangerous as Covid can be that are asymptomatic. Flu wipes you out so you can't spread it around. Your logic is faulty.

Not true. Flu can be asymptomatic and very dangerous to the vulnerable m!

Yes! And flu can be mild and have cold-like symptoms in one person, but cause full-on flu wiping you out in another. Norovirus can also be asymptomatic, is common, is very very infectious and is really bad if it gets into somewhere like a nursing home.

Does sometimes feel like people have been so keen to show they know that covid isn’t “just another bug”, that they’ve ended up dismissing the risk of other bugs…

The big problem is fear factor that was increased by medical and government propaganda. It’s frighteningly easy to get people to do exactly what they are told and believe everything. Some modelling, EV on Omicron, was simply wrong. We actually now have Omicron BA2 which is a variant. People can isolate if they wish, but don’t expect the state to keep paying for tests.

I'm against. Don't get me wrong, I want things to get better but only see this making things worse. Am watching Denmark and BA.2 with interest.

I would feel better if in general as a society people were more able to just stay home when unwell to stop things spreading. I've felt like this for years though. I recall my Manager coming into work with a mild cold about 5 years ago..it spread around the office like wildfire, some people getting it worse than others. I ended up being off for nearly two weeks as mine turned into bronchitis (which I get with nearly every cold thanks to bad childhood illness that left me with a weak respiratory system). Then my Manager wanted to dicuss my attendance with me. I've felt for a long time that there has to be a better way - I think masks and isolation are great for this reason but I do think that as time goes on, isolation shouldn't be law, but more of a way of life that is facilitated by employers where possible.

Anyway, I'll be continuing to test, wear masks, open windows and restrict what I do. Tbh if I get it badly I'll be stuffed because I'll have 3 children to look after and no support so I do want to avoid it (and any other illness).

Was it more a case of being cautious whilst learning about Omicron? Thankfully this variant doesn't seem to infect the lungs in the way that the previous infections did. Scientists wouldn't have known this at first so a cautious approach was justified in my opinion.

People can isolate if they wish, but don’t expect the state to keep paying for tests.
Abandoning free testing could be a false economy if it ends up leading to even a relatively small percentage increase in people admitted to hospital due to Covid (or even more sick days taken in total due to Covid). I think the Government should commission research on how testing might be used to have the most impact, but I think the complete abandonment of free testing could easily turn out to be a false economy.

Wow there are some angry people on here. Is it normal to be so riled up by the concerns of people working in high risk sectors? Perhaps get some counselling for that

Mass testing on the current scale is costing the country £2bn per week. That’s an extraordinary amount of money which is completely unsustainable and could be much better spent on other things. Covid cases are falling by approx. 25% per week. Immunity levels in the population are incredibly high. The unvaccinated have chosen to accept the risks, their choice should be respected but the rest of society should not pander to them by maintaining restrictions to protect them. In a few weeks time it will be spring, when conditions are less favourable to the spread of respiratory viruses. The question which people who are opposed to ending restrictions have to answer is :

If we are not going to get back to normal now, then when?

Abandoning free testing could be a false economy if it ends up leading to even a relatively small percentage increase in people admitted to hospital due to Covid

In January alone we spent £2m on testing! And since the beginning of the pandemic almost £40bn has been spent on testing and tracing

I doubt that any increase in covid cases would cost more than that...!

I can foresee a couple of possible issues:

• There will be increasing pressure on / disapproval of employees who are genuinely ill and who need to take time off, with what is currently considered a 'reasonable' time off work for 'at the more severe end of non-hospitalisation but still nasty' Covid rapidly becoming a disciplinary matter.

• In settings where the risk is asymmetrical - for example schools / universities, where staff are much more likely to be ill for longer that students - there will still be significant issues in providing a normal service by staff, but a far increased expectation that they will do so for an almost normal number of students. We already see this with schools, where Ofsted is continuing a schedule of inspecting schools against the same or even increased benchmarks, even where many staff are away. Many students have had cover teachers for weeks or months, and this is not going to change, because these staff are ill, not isolating when well. Maintaining a safe ratio of adults is going to remain a critical issue in primary schools in particular.

• In settings where there are a large number of vulnerable people - care homes, hospitals and other medical settings - controls will remain or even become more stringent because without testing and isolation, they will have to work on the assumption that all visitors could have Covid, and use this as the basis for risk assessment. So rather than this 'freedom' meaning these settings will return to normal, they will in fact have to remain even more vigilant and controlled.

• CEV individuals could easily become more isolated again for exactly the same reason.

For average, healthy adults who live and work in places mostly frequented by average, healthy adults - yes, this will be a nice development.

@BitterTits

Wow there are some angry people on here. Is it normal to be so riled up by the concerns of people working in high risk sectors? Perhaps get some counselling for that

I’m not sure what you’re referring to but selfish is obviously going to go down like a led balloon. Although it probably does come from a place of anger and perceived loss of control

@Blubells

It isn't asking too much to keep the basic precautions to keep the vulnerable safe. Unless you're utterly selfish, of course

Actually a 10 day isolation is asking too much from a lot of people who need to be at work or in education!

There are lots of people who can't pay their mortgage or heating costs unless they work. And there are lots of school pupils with GCSE or A level exams coming up who can't afford to miss any more school.

Your attitude is selfish imo.

None of what you describe kills people. Covid does.

And you think I'm selfish?

You think poverty doesn’t kill people?

*In January alone we spent £2m on testing! And since the beginning of the pandemic almost £40bn has been spent on testing and tracing shock

I doubt that any increase in covid cases would cost more than that...!*

The way in which the Government approached setting up the Test and Trace service was a complete fiasco, I'll grant you that, eg the decision to appoint Dido Harding to head it up and the insistence on outsourcing to the private sector while ignoring existing public health expertise within local authorities. But that money's gone now. Abandoning testing now won't recoup it. And a lot of the wasted money went on ineffective efforts to trace contacts rather than the actual testing. You should also remember that when testing first started it was all PCR tests which are much more costly per test due to the need to process them in a lab and have a system for returning the results. The cost of a lateral flow test will be a fraction of the price.

I do think at this point more inconvenience and disruption to services and life is being caused by isolation of people who are feeling well, than people actually being ill. People who remain still very much at risk (ie those for whom the vaccine isn't effective) are not 'safe' now because of the unreliability of lfts, and the fact that people can be contagious before they get symptoms. So I don't see that it will be much more dangerous for them. Some people have always been at increased risk from simple coughs and colds and unfortunately that is their risk to live with, not for the rest of the population to be locked up for.