Are kids really over covid/infectiousness after 3 days?

[cool4cats2020]

Surprised to learn that the official guidelines say that kids only need to isolate for 3 days and then can go back to school etc. Kids at dd's secondary school have been coming back after 3 days, along with coughs and still feeling ill. A friend's ds tested positive on Thursday night, had a really bad cough, but apparently testing negative by Sunday.

Are kids really getting over it that quick now? Are these current variants causing shorter illness?

Ds had a temperature and a positive test, we had lots of symptoms but he just had the temperature. He was himself the following day, but wouldn't test. The next day he did and was negative. I can't be sure how long he would have tested positive for, but his one symptom cannot have lasted more than 12 hours.

When my DC had it, they didn't actually feel ill at all and it was only because they had to test for other reasons that we knew they had it. This was 12 months ago. So nothing new. Some people get sick with it and others don't.

I doubt it, but as we have to live with it now then they need to go back.
We're back at work after 5 days (NHS).

No, not shorter, just policy. As for living with covid, we've been living with it since it got here - more like how govt are choosing to respond to it. Still, only 2.3m with long covid, so clearly a great plan.

Some are, some aren't. DH tried to catch it off me when I had it and never did. This will be the second, third or even fourth time teenagers are being infected so hopeful em they are clearing it quicker