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Covid

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Original poster

So what are the rules now?

78 replies

honeybooboo33 · 12/07/2022 09:16

It's so confusing. Workplaces telling staff to go in even if they're positive. Testing no longer free or mandatory. So what do you actually do if you suspect you have it? I suppose a lot of it comes down to moral obligation rather than 'rules'.

Dh tested positive earlier this week. Was unwell for a day or two but it picking up again now. I have headache and hay fever symptoms but am not unwell in the sense that I can't function, just feel a bit grotty. The heat isn't helping either. Dc have no symptoms and have end of term things at school that they are looking forward to.

I have no tests left in the house (used all my tests up testing us all when dh first tested positive - at which point the rest of the house was negative). My question is am I meant to be buying tests to keep checking us all? It would mean making a special journey and I kind of feel like after all dc have missed out on it would be shit for them to have to skip the last few weeks of school when they're not even unwell. I know that wont go down well but seriously, how many people are walking around with it now that we no longer get free tests? Or even walking around knowing they have it since there's no longer any legal obligation to isolate?

I just wondered what other people are doing at this point I guess...

OP posts:
Original poster
honeybooboo33 · 12/07/2022 09:41

Bump

OP posts:
LifeInsideMyhead · 12/07/2022 09:44

Our local schools have asked us not to test kids. Only to test if asked to by a hcp. So noone is testing in my immediate circle.

We're also to send them into school if they feel well, keep home if sick/temp just as we used to do!

LifeInsideMyhead · 12/07/2022 09:46

And yes I imagine tons of asymptomatic people are walking around just as they were before!

Dont keep your kids off would be a shame to miss out.

Radio 4 said testing shows 95% of school kids have had it at least once.

Lazypuppy · 12/07/2022 09:48

You treat itvlike any other illness. If you feel ill, don't go to work etc, do what you would notmally do, if you don't feel ill carry on.

I haven't tested in months 🤷🏼‍♀️ so i would only probably guess i had it if i felt quite ill

SallyWD · 12/07/2022 09:49

We're following the guidance of isolating for 5 days as adults and 3 days for children. My DH tested positive on Saturday and will work from home for the week. However, I realise its easy for us as we can work from home. We don't have anyone pressurising us to go in to the office. Also when we do have Covid we feel pretty rubbish so wouldn't want to go to work/school anyway.

MistressIggi · 12/07/2022 09:50

At the moment you don't know the dc have covid - if they had symptoms I would think morally it's shit to send them in - possibly affecting the long-awaited summer holidays of several families! Are there postal tests you could get? Some schools might still have kits lying around too, I know my dc's school did. It's not guaranteed anyone else in your household will get it

Silverswirl · 12/07/2022 09:52

If you feel ill stay home and rest. If you feel well carry on with your life. Same for DC.
Why anyone would be be randomly testing unless they have very vulnerable people to be around perhaps, is bonkers.
So many other worse viruses around that we don’t test for.

Neverendingdust · 12/07/2022 09:53

The problem with trying to ignore Covid and not test despite having symptoms is that the waves just keep getting bigger, BA.5 is a nasty variant. I have friends who have it now saying it’s the worst they’ve ever felt and interestingly they both started with hay fever signs around a week before testing positive and it turning into full blown Covid.

The rules are murky and non existent to keep the economy and country open which theoretically should work and yet my FIL had a very important oncology diagnosis appointment cancelled due to his consultant having Covid yesterday and another colleague had her 1 year olds GP appointment cancelled for the same reason too. This is in the height of summer.

Does everyone really fancy catching this every 2-3 months going forward because people won’t isolate or wear masks?

Babdoc · 12/07/2022 09:54

I find the 5 days isolation rather arbitrary. I was still testing strongly positive at ten days last week, with my second attack of acute Covid on top of my long Covid. I isolated for 14 days in the end.

finalpunt · 12/07/2022 09:55

My 17 YO DSS tested positive a couple of weeks ago. We are lucky we still have access to tests (DH works in care sector). He stayed in all week because at first he didn't feel well enough to get out of bed for long and then he didn't want to spread it around his group. Went out the first day he tested negative.

Adult DN and her DH and DCS all have what they believe is covid as they know a few people who have tested positive and they have the same symptoms - currently on a 3 night break at a theme park. They haven't tested as they hadn't got any and only started developing symptoms yesterday whilst already away.

If I am honest, I probably wouldn't have bothered testing DSS if we didn't have tests in the house, certainly wouldn't have on the first couple of days may have swayed by day 3 or 4 when he was at his worse.

My DSis had covid last week, was in work most of it as was told she had to, despite having a positive test as that is what living with covid means. She was too ill to go in Thursday & Friday but now they have loads of people of sick and in work with it also.

My work, out of 30 people we currently have 6 people with Covid - they can work from home and most were anyway - 2 are not working as they feel to crap, rest are at the moment.

There are no rules - just guidance

EveryFlightBeginsWithAFall · 12/07/2022 09:57

I still have tests so we test if we have symptoms or have been around someone who has then come down with it. That's because dil is pg though and I wouldn't want to pass it on to her

Original poster
honeybooboo33 · 12/07/2022 10:02

Obviously because dh was/is positive there is a risk. But the rest of us are not unwell. I feel a bit grotty but that could just as easily be the heat or hay fever. It's hard to know what to do for the best.

OP posts:
LifeInsideMyhead · 12/07/2022 10:08

Are you pondering testing otherwise well children?

That way madness lies. Don't do it!

Original poster
honeybooboo33 · 12/07/2022 10:18

And also myself. Only because dh has had it. The thing is I'm frightened or a positive result because we have so much on and morally I couldn't walk about knowing I had it. So as idiotic as it sounds it's sometimes best to not know...

OP posts:
WhiteFire · 12/07/2022 10:31

I tested because I felt so ill and it is the only reason I'm allowed to work from home, DH tested because he had a dentist appointment so they asked him to due to my positive.

Jules912 · 12/07/2022 10:37

I'd go by the 5 days adults/ 3 days children but I wouldn't be testing the children if no symptoms. Saying that, DS's teacher is off with it this week and DS says loads of kids in his class had colds/hayfever last week.

LifeInsideMyhead · 12/07/2022 11:00

Yes I think overall we're encouraged NOT to test now. Best not to know and to carry on with the rest of the population - otherwise we have people off all over the place.

Honestly in our are we're told not to test kids and the relief has been immense. I wouldn't think about it/worry unless you habe a hospital app.

LifeInsideMyhead · 12/07/2022 11:02

@Jules912 I think that's exactly it - kids will have colds/hayfever/covid and they go to school unless very unwell with it.

Delatron · 12/07/2022 12:46

I only tested as I work in close contact with people. And to cancel my work I needed a very good reason and Covid is the only one that would cut it!

Wouldn’t test anyone else in the family.

I will start my classes again when I feel
well enough to.

I had a sniffly nose (felt like hayfever) and a slightly itchy throat for a week first. Didn’t test as felt fine other than those minor symptoms. Then fatigue kicked in a week later.
So I was probably most contagious when I thought I had hayfever.

ApplesandBunions · 12/07/2022 14:16

Neverendingdust · 12/07/2022 09:53

The problem with trying to ignore Covid and not test despite having symptoms is that the waves just keep getting bigger, BA.5 is a nasty variant. I have friends who have it now saying it’s the worst they’ve ever felt and interestingly they both started with hay fever signs around a week before testing positive and it turning into full blown Covid.

The rules are murky and non existent to keep the economy and country open which theoretically should work and yet my FIL had a very important oncology diagnosis appointment cancelled due to his consultant having Covid yesterday and another colleague had her 1 year olds GP appointment cancelled for the same reason too. This is in the height of summer.

Does everyone really fancy catching this every 2-3 months going forward because people won’t isolate or wear masks?

Even when we had laws requiring isolation and mask wearing, they didn't control Omicron waves. It's simply that contagious. The rules are also non-existent because there aren't actually any restrictions we could implement that would prevent uncontrolled spread.

Original poster
honeybooboo33 · 12/07/2022 16:13

So general consensus is that you should carry on as normal unless you are unwell enough that you can't carry on as normal?

OP posts:
antelopevalley · 12/07/2022 16:20

You carry on as normal.
Meanwhile hospital admissions are going up though.
We were all supposed to become immune even though the scientists were saying that would not happen.
Happy days.

maryso · 12/07/2022 16:36

Since February the rules are you're on your own. Up to you to vaccinate, distance, test, isolate, mask up (to protect yourself with high filtration masks, not just the mutual courtesy masks as at the start). As a result of this free market covid world we're now peaking at our third 3-monthly wave.

The hope is that there are enough of us who will endeavour to do no harm to our communities, and act accordingly. What goes around, comes around. Sadly there are a lot vocalising freedom to infect and cripple the NHS, said with a lot of anger that usually speaks volumes about themselves but is still harmful to the vulnerable. All you can do is to keep up to date and do the right thing by yourself.

ApplesandBunions · 12/07/2022 16:40

maryso · 12/07/2022 16:36

Since February the rules are you're on your own. Up to you to vaccinate, distance, test, isolate, mask up (to protect yourself with high filtration masks, not just the mutual courtesy masks as at the start). As a result of this free market covid world we're now peaking at our third 3-monthly wave.

The hope is that there are enough of us who will endeavour to do no harm to our communities, and act accordingly. What goes around, comes around. Sadly there are a lot vocalising freedom to infect and cripple the NHS, said with a lot of anger that usually speaks volumes about themselves but is still harmful to the vulnerable. All you can do is to keep up to date and do the right thing by yourself.

What rules could we implement that would prevent the current wave?

IGotItInTheSales · 12/07/2022 16:46

Carry on as normal..

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