So what are the rules now?

[honeybooboo33]

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...

It's actually not that easy to get LFT tests at the moment. I went to two pharmacies today and neither had any. One was in Asda and they said to check the shelf in the main store but 'there probably aren't any'. There wasnt.

I do have to take dd for a hospital appointment next week so was planning to test for that and carry on as normal until then. However if I can't get a test then I can't even do that.

If you are ill stay at home, if you are well carry on, not testing any more

Workplaces no longer award covid sickness....so not guaranteed sick pay

And time off can land you in trouble if workplace uses RAG procedure

Unfortunately many of us do have to work alongside staff who are still positive ( if they even know....no testing required)

You don't have to stay off work

DD had it last week. I ibly tested her because I have loads of tests (HCP) and she came home feeling very poorly. By the next day she was absolutely fine, but I kept her at home for 3 days as per the guidance. I came down with a cold over the weekend. Tested positive. Had two days of mild cold symptoms and am now feeling fine again. I will stay away from indoor venues for another 2 days and will be working from hone as per the guidance, but I’m still going out for walks/outdoors.

However, I fully doubt the majority of people will be doing this because they won’t have access to free tests (I’m fortunate that I do) and therefore won’t be testing so won’t know they have it.

@ApplesandBunions the x million dollar question! Well the interesting thing is that other countries' (of a similar socio-economic and vaccination profile as the UK) do not have our almost perfectly formed wave after wave after wave (of covid deaths) since our glorious freedom from isolation etc at the start of 2022. Basically rules interfere with these waves, by interrupting our spreading behaviour. They also come with all sorts of costs.

We all want freedom, but the way to get freedom without helping transmission lies in both investing (in ventilation, vaccines, cures) to help and mostly in all of us behaving well towards each other. That mutual courtesy seems to annoy some people more than others, and I'm not sure if it's just a temporary reaction against having been locked down for a couple of years.

Little people like me can only ensure we get data about what the virus is doing, and take little decisions every day to not help it spread. Being aware of transmission rates will nudge your behaviour a little if it's important to you. Every little nudge makes things safer across the board. If you suspect you've caught it and cannot test but feel well enough to work and cannot afford not to, putting the best (2 or 3) mask/s on and distancing from others can't hurt. Not minding what people think when you say I could be infectious, so I'll mask up and distance, help me and yourself do this. It'll help much more than no mask and hugging everyone at lunch. If you were a HCP, treat everyone as vulnerable and yourself as infectious, is what we do, because the result is that I can do my job properly and you're safer. How do you make rules so people help each other? Yet other countries somehow manage to not have our perfect free market covid death repetitive wave pattern. It's almost as if they're less ashamed of being kind to each other, as far as their covid death trajectories look. Or that they're more adult about the disease than we seem to be, throwing tantrums about being a little more cautious and expecting others to do all the lifting for us with magic potions and jabs.

Which countries and which rules are you talking about, and how does that view square with the evident failure of such rules to prevent the previous Omicron wave? The England and Scotland comparison for example.

@ApplesandBunions other western European countries eg Italy, Spain, France, none of them have the perfect sinusoidal wave form repeated as we do; obviously Far Eastern countries like Singapore seem more able to contain themselves better for societal gain, despite being of the same species as us, so I've not even tried to compare us to them.

Your questions assume that the virus has somehow mutated into Omicron without being helped by our not sharing vaccines with the world, without our comfortably spreading it because we can't be bothered to use masks properly. Why not say what you mean? Which is that your self-centred behaviour is not responsible for more transmissible mutations, so let it rip. After all, you're in huge company, as evidenced by our beautifully perfect waves of covid deaths post vaccination. Similar to your ignorance of high filtration masks, your contribution being beware of getting them in case they're counterfeits, because the best thing is to not bother. Congratulations on your success in dominating the cultural background resulting in our covid death profile, and living the life counter to that of every Sage adviser.

Any more data questions, Google is your friend. I don't play chess with pigeons.

This doesn't answer my question. You haven't explained which restrictions they have nor provided any evidence. It's not for me to google proof of your claims, it's for you to back them up when you make them.

Your second paragraph is completely batshit, and if you would like a response, formulate it in a less raving manner. Currently it reads like someone shouting at clouds.

@ApplesandBunions I'm not your educator, and you're obviously someone who can't be bothered to determine facts, even when you've been pointed the way. It's data, the stuff that you avoid in forming your world view. Be happy, pigeons seem to be.

@ApplesandBunions should have also said I don't need a further response from you because it's blatantly clear where you are and how you got there. We have nothing in common, so be happy in your world. It's all but certain our worlds will never meet.

What this means is that you can't prove the claim you made. All you've got is your belief.

@ApplesandBunions sure thing buttercup, you go for whatever gets you through the day. After all, another drop into your ocean of ignorance makes no difference.

You've still not proved any of the claims you've made. All we've heard is that you have faith. With that in mind, you can't pull off patronising.

@ApplesandBunions your hearing like your opinions is, in your terms, batshit. You don't even understand N95 masks, so clearly haven't even tried looking at WHO data and guidance over the last two years. Are you actually saying that mutations had nothing to do with your type of behaviour, ie. not bothering to share vaccines, not reducing transmission? Do you even know what "proof" means? It doesn't mean convincing you, because there's no convincing someone who is incapable of even looking at basic data freely available. I don't mean or need to patronise you, I don't know you from Adam, but that seems to be something you are accustomed to. What's the problem? You have your world and I have mine. I'm happy you're wrong and you're happy I am. Faith, what an archaic word. I do data, you don't so it's obvious that faith is what you have.

If you can walk, you can work!
In other words, unless you are feeling too unwell for school or work (regardless of the illness), in you go!

@Mariposista what about social or non essential things?

🙄aren’t you just what the virus wants……so very selfish and you have NO idea who else might also have a lot on, including looking after very elderly relatives 🤬

Honestly, I had zero idea of what the guidelines where until I tested positive last week, so looked them up.
I was surprised that it was basically life as normal. I stayed home (apart from walking the dog) for 5 days then just carried on as normal afterwards. Still ended up giving it to someone vulnerable (who had blood clots last time they had Covid). Is Covid guilt a thing?

@Poppyliveshere if I were selfish and didn't care I wouldn't have even bothered to start a thread would I. Grow up.

The fact is that the powers that be have removed restrictions and made it harder for people to test. We are supposed to be getting back to 'normal' and learning to live with the virus. It's not going away so how much longer do we live with disruption and cancelled plans? Even so, I wouldn't want to be responsible for passing it to anyone and making them poorly. Hence why I tested. As it stands the rest of my family are not showing symptoms and I haven't got any tests left. Do I keep my kids off school and stay off work on the off chance? Do I make us all isolate like we have done several times before?

Well not so simple with a child who has to attend a huge children’s hospital every 2 days and now has Covid because someone who would rather sound ‘idiotic’ and pretend it doesn’t exist, means that every very sick child in there is at an increased risk….it doesn’t sound idiotic, it’s hiding your head in the sand and is VERY selfish. So long as your plans aren’t disrupted eh? 😡

@Poppyliveshere maybe focus your abuse towards the government who have decided to remove restrictions. Write to your MP instead of attacking random people on the internet who have asked a simple question.

Sorry that you are in this position with your child but what about the millions of other children who have already missed so much? Their end of term plans might not sound a lot to you but it means a lot to them. How long do we keep disrupting these things on the off chance that they might have covid even if they aren't unwell?

@Poppyliveshere and if I were 'pretending it didn't exist' I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have a) tested us all in the first place and b) started a thread about it.

It's clearly an emotive issue for you but don't let your own circumstances affect your judgement of others.

I don't think anyone knows the rules anymore. DH tested positive and logged his result on NHS Covid app. This is still saying take care for 6 or 7 days yet I thought it was 5.
My recent experience is that this is so damn transmissible as we all ended up with COVID.
DD isolated for 3 days and DH 5 although dd now negative but DH still positive. I am several dsys behind and still feeling rough.

other western European countries eg Italy, Spain, France, none of them have the perfect sinusoidal wave form repeated as we do

Just had a look at Our World in Data as you can customise graphs on it. We don't look like a particular outlier on this graph (hopefully it's attached) - am I looking at the wrong thing?

Think of it as a cold

Are you unwell? Do you need to lie low?
can you take some paracetamol and get on with life?