Should I have stayed home today?

[ThinkIGotItWrongToday]

Feeling conflicted here.

Symptoms started Friday (cough). Very faint positive test on Saturday morning. Despite the cough continuing, I had a negative test yesterday (Monday) morning and again this morning so I went to work wearing a mask.

I felt that given the evidence (the negative tests and my original very faint positive test) I was unlikely to be infectious, but I wore the mask just to be on the safe side.

But should I have stayed at home?

Did you follow the instructions on the test to the letter. Did you cough a lot today? do you work with vulnerable people or the general population or are you in an office by yourself? Do you get the bus?

Yes I think so. The advice is to TRY stay at home for 5 days after a positive test. Our employer is not happy when people test as then they've got to stay off for 5 days regardless of how they feel.

@sandytooth I sit with 8 other young people in a room of a larger office and do not take public transport to get there.
We had a larger office meeting this morning (around 50people) and there were plenty of non mask wearers who were coughing more than me. My cough comes in little bouts - probably had around 5 bouts over the working day.
@Justhereforaibu1 yeah, mine says to stay home if you feel unwell. I felt ok and was testing negative two days in a row.

I think it's the second time I've had Omicron so perhaps could have fought it off more easily.

I would not have attended the larger meeting personally

Ok thanks. Shit. Feel pretty bad about this.

Nah don't feel bad. It's likely there were other people there who had covid and possibly didn't even know it. The risk of transmission when you're testing negative is lower I think. People know when they go out and about now they might encounter it more.

Ideally yes that would better but so many people have got a cold/cough right now where it’s just as likely to be covid that you wouldn’t have been the only one. Without testing which a lot of people aren’t doing they’ll not realise or just not care. Many people are cracking on because they can’t afford not to tbh too.

I wouldn’t have gone in. But my work would prefer you to work from home (we only have one office day) if we are poorly with anything!

You were probably more infectious on Friday. Personally I would have stayed home the advised 5 days after symptoms start, it’s 3 days for children. I know some places people are still working when positive as they won’t get paid.