How long are people contaguous now?

[Jeffsmeffsmiff]

Family members tested + Christmas eve after feeling ill on 23rd. So we cancelled them coming to us for Christmas. Now planning for them to come down on 29th. They will need to stay with us though as traveling from Midlands to us in London. Is that long enough do you think? I really don't want to get covid again if I can avoid it. I want them to test and only come if they're negative but they're convinced if it's been 5 days they'll not be contagious.

The guidelines say no requirement to retest and only to isolate for 5 days.

However, DH is still testing positive day 12 (testing as waiting for hospital treatment) whereas I was negative day 6, DC day 5. I’d not be keen to have someone so quickly tbh as this round of covid has been awful.

I was negative on day 2
Retested on days 3 and 4 but was definitive

Husband negative on day 3

Weirdly both of us continued to feel worse as we were negative!

"However, DH is still testing positive day 12 (testing as waiting for hospital treatment) whereas I was negative day 6, DC day 5. I’d not be keen to have someone so quickly tbh as this round of covid has been awful."
I'm not keen at all unless they test negative. I'm being made out to be the bad guy though because "COVID isn't going anywhere, we just need to get on with it"
Which is fine. I'm not suggesting lockdown or anything nuts like that, and I'm still going out and doing all normal stuff. I just don't see why you'd be ok to knowingly risk infecting people.

9 days, 6 days, 7 days, 3 days here. It varies. Yeah, not sure why living with it, doesn't also mean not deliberately harming your hosts!

I had covid in September. I'd had a headache and felt tired for three days previously - thought it was stress, tested positive on day four of feeling ill. Tested seven days after positive (due back at work next day) and had a faint line, so faint line eight days after testing positive, but eleven days after first symptoms.

I'd ask them to test the night before, that way if tests are negative they know they can come and also you plan to get up early and get extra food before their arrival. If positive (even a faint line) you know how you'd feel about that.