Parents want me to do and kids to do covid test before visiting

[Needarest22]

AIBU for being a bit put out by this?
My brother is also visiting and he's really cautious about covid so it could be driven by him. There is no talk of them doing one.
AIBU to be a bit miffed?

It's tempting absolutely nothing to point out the bleeding obvious that Sunak has a maximum of two years left as PM and isn't guaranteed even that, would be removed by the right of his party if he attempted a lockdown and couldn't possibly fund the costs of one in any case.

Sunak saying he wouldn't impose a lockdown means about as much as me saying I'm not going to go for the next Olympics. It's not a choice open to either of us!

@Tygger forgive me, and others, if those of us who worked on the front line through the peak of the pandemic treat your scepticism with utter disdain.
You have obviously thus far been unscathed by Covid. That's good. Lucky you.
Just please respect and believe in frontline professionals' actual experience and I suggest you watch the news emerging from China.

It's not just I that's been unscathed by covid, it applies to everyone that I know, some of those that have been jabbed and boosted are suffering more from winter flu than I am.
China is a totalarian communist state that welded shut people doors to keep them isolated, they are now paying the price for their lack of herd immunity, plus it was their laboratories that probably caused the problem in the first place. Any respect that I once had for the NHS has been gradually eroded over the last 10 years, this strike is the final nail in the coffin.
The problems caused by our reaction to covid has caused, and will continue to cause, more harm for years to come, that some EWD, which could, and should have been managed better.
The front line staff should have recognised that there were better treatments for those who were hospitalised, other than forcing oxygen into their lungs, Ivermectin was ridiculed as a treatment and that has now been disproved.
Happy New Year

If I have a heavy cold or any kind of infection I tend to avoid my elderly relatives as these things can be very disabling for an old person. Taking a covid test is just another safety measure along these lines.

What a shame you aren't the PM, a Consultant in ICU, a nurse on the front line. It could have all been so different with you working out how to deal with a new virus and how fortunate that you have been unscathed. Thousands dead but you're all right Jack.

So it is beyond his imagination and your imagination that a more dangerous virus springs up?

Funny that we are getting letters from school about the contingency plans that have been made by the govt about what will happen if external exams can't go ahead because of another pandemic.

Maybe Sunak hasn't told them it just can't happen or maybe he does actually realise that he isn't master of the universe.

No, it's just that the assumption that a more dangerous virus or variant springing up means lockdown would happen is a flawed one.

People have this odd idea that lockdown kicks in at a certain point of contagiousness, which you touch on here with your 'master of the universe' comment. It doesn't. Lockdown requires lots of factors to be in place, some of which simply aren't going to be within the next two years. Lockdowns can only happen with the consent of the political class, consent of the public, sufficient funding and enough people being willing to work outside the home despite the exietence of the particular threat. It's actually quite a small sweet spot and it's not one that we're going to be hitting again by end of what won't be a long premiership for Sunak.

Also, exams not being able to go ahead as planned could happen for a variety of reasons, so that's neither here nor there.

Sweden got it mostly right. By following the pre-pandemic WHO playbook instead of panicking and trying a largely untested and rather drastic measure.

There's no doubt lockdowns were a panicked measure. Panic doesn't tend to produce rational decision making.

The letter we had about A levels exams specifically referred to another pandemic.

If it is so impossible I wonder why the government are wasting their time planning for it? You might almost think they know more about what they are prepared to do than you do.

On the contrary I think locking down in the face of an unknown virus that may have the potential to a) kill large sections of the population (c19 wasn't this but we didn't actually know that in early 2020) or b) completely overwhelm your health system is a rational response even if you can't sustainit for very long@. I think people forget how very, very little was known about the virus back then.

So not another lockdown then. Nobody said there couldn't be another pandemic, and there'll probably be more variants. We're back to the point about pandemic not equating to lockdown again.

As for pandemic planning, you presumably understand that it has to take a long term and thus wide approach rather than dealing only with things that stand any chance of happening in the next few months to two years, ie the length of time Sunak will be in post.

No. They could have stuck with the pandemic guidelines that the WHO published and largely followed for Swine Flu on up to 2020. Then they threw everything out to follow China’s lead. Unconscionable.

Maybe someday we will understand why that happened.

So you think there won't be a lockdown if there is another pandemic, they will just stop 16 and 18 year old going into school for their GCSE and A level exams? That seems a strange scenario.

Yes they do have to deal with possibilities, so a pandemic and lockdown is possible as they are planning for it. Unless they just lockdown 16 and 18 year olds. The exams they are talking about are in June so not many months away.

Do you think it might be because they looked at what was happening in places like Italy?

UK was influenced more by Neil Ferguson’s completely ridiculous projections and not what happened in Italy.

And Sweden’s Anders Tegnell saw it and decided to stay the course. Respect.

There won't be another lockdown while Sunak is PM, there are factors other than locldown that might lead to exams not being taken. Insufficient staff available to facilitate and mark exams, for example.

It's interesting that you don't address any of the reasons given as to why there couldn't be a lockdown while Sunak is PM. Nothing more offered other than an assumption that because it happened before it could happen again. The contention that because long term pandemic planning covers a particular possibility that automatically means it could happen in the next two years (possibly less) with no consideration of the political circumstances around it is a logic fail.

Ultimately, Sunak couldn't enforce a lockdown even if it were his dearest wish, which it clearly isn't. So it will not happen.

The letter specifically refers to being unable to hold exams due to another pandemic. Not sure why you don't get that.

The thing is I'm quite happy to accept there might not be another lockdown but that it is a possibility because we can't tell the future. You on the other hand are absolutely adamant it can't happen despite the fact that the govt are obviously preparing in case it does. I think the logic fail is yours.

I've had 6 vaccinations but havent developed any antibodies so am still having to shield on advice from my medical team. Anyone who ones to my home has to test.

I wouldn't be bothered. They are your parents and if doing a quick test will stop them being anxious then I would just do it. If you have covid then I assume you wouldn't want to give it to them (same as if you had the flu or any other virus), and if you don't then no problem. It sounds like it is stemming from health anxiety- it may seem silly to many people but I would try and be kind and not take it personally.

Because not being able to hold exams during another pandemic isn't the same thing as not being able to hold exams in another pandemic because there's a lockdown. As has already been pointed out, lockdown isn't the only reason why exams might not happen in a pandemic, so you're conflating two different things. This isn't complicated.

Also, I don't rule out another lockdown ever happening again, it just isn't happening during Sunak's tenure.

{mention:Tygger},@Tygger, please fact check re drug effectivemess in covid. You are wrong. Just as well you're not and were not in charge. Watching people's oxygen levels plummet during covid... 'ooh, what to do?' Let's not give them any oxygen just some untested for use in Covid, drug therapy. Drugs were used in conjuction with oxygen, e. g. dexamethasone, whilst tbeir efftiveness was properly evaluated. But, wait.... how cruel to force oxygen into people's lungs, terrible, evil NHS workers. Please read and learn.
www.cochrane.org/CD015017/INFECTN_ivermectin-preventing-and-treating-covid-19

Watching people's oxygen levels plummet during covid

It wasn’t the oxygen administration, it was the early intubation protocol which led to unnecessary deaths. Basically blowing out people’s lungs.

As an aside, this protocol was first done by Wuhan doctors, another Chinese strategy we should have rejected …

@tygger www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/why-you-should-not-use-ivermectin-treat-or-prevent-covid-19

Not just ineffective against covid, actually dangerous... more reading and learning for you

I don't see the problem. I was invited to a small gathering not to long along and asked to do a test. It turns out the host was in stages of pregancy felt a bit anxious but didn't want to say for obvious reasons. Everyone has their reasons although they may not say.
It takes a few minutes. You have no doubt spent more time on MN posting this and reading responses than it does to just take a test and move on. I personally find it quite odd that anyone would not see why others may want to do their best to avoid catching covid if they can. I'd just fo a test and move on.