Positive covid test and supposed to be going to holiday cottage

[Imdoingitnext]

Both me and DH got positive lateral flow tests - him yesterday and me this morning. We'd booked a holiday cottage from today for a week.
Do we go or stay at home? It's by the sea in a very small village - quite isolated. We have lots of ready meals and groceries and wine so wouldn't need to go near the shops. We can walk on the beach watch tv etc if we become more ill we would come back home

It's a dilemma - isolate at home or by the sea?

I wouldn't go if I knew I was positive.

Advice is to still isolate and tbh everyone I know who has tested positive has done so. Obviously there will be people not testing who may be positive out and about. However to take the time to test and to then knowingly ignore the official advice just feels a bit off.

Does your insurance or booking costs cover you for covid cancellation? Many still do even though the legal requirement has changed.

I’d go.

It makes no difference to the cleaners, they are not going to catch covid from you if they aren’t in the same room as you.

I personally wouldn't but legally you are okay to do it. So if you want to and feel up to it then go for it! The sea air may help you. Advice is still to self isolate but depends whether you want to follow advice or legalities.

I'd go but let the owners know when you leave and maybe clean high contact areas w disinfectant and air it out.

Advice is to still isolate and tbh everyone I know who has tested positive has done so

OP and her DH will be isolating. Just not in their own house.

@SpringRainbow

If you both feel ill would you even feel well enough to get there?

Got a cough and sore throat and a bit achey

Why test to then wonder what to do!

My sister and I are looking to go away to a cottage for a weekend before I have major surgery for cancer. I hadn't realised many people would go somewhere having covid so I think we'll just stay home. Fwiw I wouldn't go thinking about the next guests..

I isn't the cleaners after that would be a concern.

It's the travel down and stopping for food/drink.
And it's the meeting of the host to get keys, be shown round.
And if they have any mid week cleaning team etc that you'd fine in contact with.

You could always ask the owners before travelling?

@MmeHennyPenny

What about the guests who are booking in directly after you? Maybe they would like to be informed if they have health conditions that would make them vulnerable. Think of the cleaning staff too. You would have to inform them to make sure they take extra precautions. Would it be fair not to? Would you feel comfortable discussing it with the owner of the cottage before you decide? If I were the owner I would consider a refund or a change of date before I put myself and my future guests at risk. I don’t own a cottage myself but my brother does and we have had discussions around the subject. I hope you both make a quick recovery.

I could understand comments like this two years ago ,but two years in? Fwiw ,twice my own child has had covid living in a small two bedroom house with one bedroom we didn't really stay away from each I didn't catch it either time 🤷

@Mamiddaubach

I take i you're in England? And the holiday cottage is in England? How will you explain to the hosts if they want to come in to show you how something works in the cottage?

There's no law about isolating any more.

@Itsbackagain

My sister and I are looking to go away to a cottage for a weekend before I have major surgery for cancer. I hadn't realised many people would go somewhere having covid so I think we'll just stay home. Fwiw I wouldn't go thinking about the next guests..

@Itsbackagain: I think you can still go on your break with precautions

We mask up & air out cottages when we arrive (have a cup of tea in garden for a half hour or so) & I re clean all contact points with dettol wipes (traveling with CEV person). Think I will do this for rest of my life tbh as helps re any infection not just Covid

OP: I agree that consulting owners would be fair, also fair to cleaners, I would want to know if I was going into a property where people were shedding virus

I can't see any reason not to go but I wouldn't have tested.

@FoxyFoxyLoxy

I'm concerned about passing it onto the next occupants of the cottage and the cleaner too

The surfaces thing has been totally debunked. As long as you don't snog the cleaner she/he isn't at risk either.

Leave the windows open on the morning you leave.

When did you both start with symptoms and how far is the drive? I think it depends on the answers to these.

If you've had symptoms for more than a week then it won't pass to the cleaner / next occupants in another week.

If it's a short drive and you don't need to stop then that's not an issue either.

As @Zonder says.

I would go if not too far a drive. If I didnt feel too bad and not mix with others. Go for walks etc.

I’d go.

I'd stay at home, most of my friends and family have felt pretty rough and I'd definitely rather be in my own bed, and on a comfortable sofa than take the risk of an uncomfortable sofa and potentially not feeling well enough to drive a couple of hours home at the end of the week. If I didn't have insurance that covered it, I'd consider it a sunk cost, the money has been spent, but a holiday I probably won't enjoy is throwing good money after bad

In your situation, assuming no underlying conditions, I would go.

Why did you test if you didn't need to?

We're going to see how we feel tomorrow and decide then. Taken on board all your views

It's 200 miles away

I can’t believe that people would go tbh. That’s put me right off staying in holiday cottages. If you do go then absolutely open the windows to air the place out before you leave. The surface transmission may have been debunked but the cleaners and next occupants could catch covid if it doesn’t get aired properly. Also no one I know is knowingly going out and about with covid.

If you have been ill for a few days you will probably be right at the end of it, or even through it, by the time you get there. As long as you air the property well and sanitise high touch surfaces yourself I think you should go. The Ons says that 1 in 25 people are currently infected so it is likely that in any cafe, supermarket or shopping centre there will be infectious people around. So many of us are now vaccinated that catching covid is by no means a given. This is what learning to live with it looks like, and from what you have said you will still be isolating.

Just go and enjoy it. You could easily go to work now if you felt up to it. The cottage will be cleaned after you. You will probably feel better soon. Don't lose the chance of a break and relaxation.

I definitely wouldn't go, regardless of the rules. If I felt any inclination to go I'd contact the owners and ask how they felt about it. To not tell them would be utterly irresponsible in my opinion. The virus is airborne. It could be passed on easily while you're being shown around the property/similar. Some people are lucky and don't catch it when they're close by. Others do.