Current guidance

[familyissues12345]

Hi

I asked this on a current post, but thought easier to start my own.

What is the current guidance? The way I've read it is - 5 days isolation for adults, 3 for children, longer if still feeling unwell. Is that it?

DH has tested positive, we've told a few people for various reasons, and all but one commented "oh I hope you aren't waiting too long for a negative!!"

However, I didnt think that was a thing anymore?

DH has no intention of not isolating for a minimum of 5 days. He's isolating from the rest of us too. Depending on how he's feeling, we're hoping he'll make an escape after 5 days - we have plans that we'd like to make. However, should he also be testing too?

@Purpleroseas

Thing is you don't test thats fine but I am not stating home with every cold or little symptom of the now huge list

Where does it state that we have to stay at home with a cold ?

I think they mean with the uncertainty over whether it's COVID or not.

@Purpleroseas it mentions staying home / avoiding people if you have one of the listed symptoms until you feel better
But how do you known you have a cold

Everyone I know is sticking with the one guidance including testing to leave isolation / isolating for 10 days.

@TheGlitterati

Everyone I know is sticking with the one guidance including testing to leave isolation / isolating for 10 days.

It's always a super stark division with your circles though. I know some people who used to be like 'noone actually did locksown did they'? Or equivalent and I was astonished. Every single person in my circle followed it to the letter. Same with this. Some people just shrug and go to work, others isolate.

silly, and some people isolate as is currently recommended, and some isolate how they think, and some how it's been in the past.

I can't keep up!

Maybe the guidance should be changed to:

"Use your own judgment and common sense"

But isn't that what it kind of is now? So isolate for a bit, then head out if you feel well, but avoid close contact with vulnerable people. So all use your own judgement?

Yet I'm hearing stuff like there's still a very clear "here's what you must do" plan

There is a difference between government guidelines and those guidelines put in additionally by organisations such as care homes , some employers and schools . Additionally some NHS services will need a negative test before you can access .

@Purpleroseas

Maybe the guidance should be changed to:

"Use your own judgment and common sense"

But judgement and common sense don't necessarily = not overburdening health services do they?

As far as I can tell OP the current guidance in England is to stay away from people if you feel unwell/if you have tested positive for covid until you feel better which is what most people did if they felt unwell prior to covid isn't it? It's all about your own judgement now thank goodness.

I have covid at the moment. I'm staying away from the rest of my family as much as I can, I'm still going out for walks but won't be going to any shops/busy places until I get a negative test.

@familyissues12345 but how do you avoid vulnerable people , they don't all have a label on saying vulnerable
So if you work in a shop you could encounter vulnerable people all day, if you go out for a meal your waitress could be vulnerable
You take your kid to a party another parent could be vulnerable , its all so crap unless you stay home or only visit people you know anywhere public there could be a vulnerable person present

but how do you avoid vulnerable people , they don't all have a label on saying vulnerable

Are you suggesting vulnerable people wear a label?

Given that covid is everywhere and highly transmissible, what's the alternative?

@Sillymummies123

The government has basically adopted a 'its too costly to enforce isolation, so let's be vague and hope many still do it' approach. As a 30 year old who currently has covid and was boosted in December, I can tell you it's fucking horrible. Reminds me painfully of the time I have influenza a few Xmas's ago. If I left the house, I would have the potential to kill someone. Its day 6 today but I'm still blowing hot on the LFTs so also don't feel comfortable going out... its just morally repugnant to contribute to a virus with the severity of the flu, but a much higher rate of circulation.

This is how I feel. I’m on day 4, I feel awful, I’ve never had flu but I’m guessing it’s very similar. I have family members who are CEV and the thought of passing it on to them or anyone who’s high risk is just awful. I am pretty healthy and it’s really knocked me so I can imagine how awful it could be for someone who already has underlying illness of lung problems. I will be staying home. I don’t really care what the new guidelines are.

@Purpleroseas of course im not suggesting that , what I am saying is you have all these people saying don't have do anything you can go out but guidelines do not say that , but do confuse as its stay home for 5 if you can but then go out but avoid cev people, well for most of us we can't so really its saying stay home but then don't visit anywhere a vulnerable person could be

@Purpleroseas maybe it wouldn't be everywhere if we had proper isolation or test and release like you know the rest of the world

I think the experience in Shanghai demonstrates how difficult, if not impossible, it is to try to prevent transmission. It's such a highly transmissible virus....
We'd all have isolate in separate rooms for a couple of weeks perhaps, but that's clearly not going to happen.

Isolation isn't really sustainable, but one would hope that "eventually", through years of data om immunity and infection, someone might be able to say 'universally isolating for x days' after symptoms reduces the number of people infected by Y%, which is enough to ensure that peak infection rate never goes above Z'. The dream of carrying on like it never happened is just that, I fear. Things are only just okay without restrictions with an exceptionally high vaccination rate (3 in 2 years broadly!). That won't be achieved again. People are busy, forget, have (unreasonable) fears. What people forget is that we have a society that is already adapted to a flu (yearly boosters, X capacity in the NHS at winter - which is already stretched). You add another novel respiratory virus in top of that... there's going to need to be a balance of some kind. Its not unreasonable to keep, e.g. PCR testing and a 2-3 day isolation (with SSP or better) long term.

No requirement to test but I did anyway. Advice to stay home for 5 days from test. I decided to isolate til day 10 when I had a negative test. My work is flexible so I can make up my hours. The advice is also avoid crowds and CEV for 10 days. I can’t see the point of testing after 10 days as you’re unlikely to be infectious even if positive