Broom cupboard 4 - soon be time to think about heating this place

[TheHoneyBadger]

Will post this on the end of the other thread too but I have just found this:

If you are identified as a contact and asked to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace, including by the NHS COVID-19 app you may be entitled to a payment of £500 from your local authority under the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme. If you are the parent or guardian of a child who has been told to self-isolate you may also be entitled to this payment.

^Presumably that is all of the 'thought' that has gone into the situation I've been talking about. Still doesn't tell us if we would be seen as taking unauthorised leave or able to work from home or anything - need union specific advice on that.

2 negative LFTs and I'm pretty sure it's a cold - am I okay to go into work tomorrow?

Long story short, my son had some unusual symptoms and took 2 lfts over 2 days and both were negative. Gut instinct kicked in. I drove us home from holiday and he did a PCR the next day. It was positive. You need to test with the symptoms you describe.

[quote SquashedFlyBiscuits]@MsAwesomeDragon I am the opposite of you 4 positive lfds and 3 negative pcrs this week. My symptoms are: headache, body aches, fatigue, blocked nose, no sense of smell, cough, temperature
Symptoms have gone through the whole family. Each person's lfd lines appear and get stronger as their symptoms come on. Lots of positive lfds all round and all our pcrs are negative.
Totally confused here. Anyone got any ideas?[/quote]
Weird, Karam Bales on Twitter is reporting the same thing

twitter.com/karamballes/status/1439225494436827140?s=21

We've had positive LFTs followed by negative PCR more often than you might expect at school too.

First teacher down at my school this evening. I was in her room with just her, no masks, on Friday. Here we go...

Well I was in the maths office with all of the maths department (not all at the same time, but some at break, some during my PPA and some at lunchtime) on Thursday, then tested positive on Friday. I may well have taken out my whole department in one fell swoop. They'll probably just be getting ill as I get better. It could just be me and the hod (who had it 5/6 weeks ago) in school when I'm well enough to go back.

I’m now intrigued to see which of the dept MsAD takes out.

I was in the maths office for a PPA with a v slightly coughing colleague who then tested positive and (as far as I know) didn’t catch it, but that was alpha.

Taking my daughter for a pcr tomorrow. Since Friday 3 of her friends in her year 7 form have had positive lateral flow tests. Another friend negative lateral but positive pcr. Daughter has been coughing since Friday evening. Oh and I'll be going in to work as normal tomorrow afternoon unless she takes a turn for the worst and can't be left alone. Utter shit show. 2 weeks at secondary and then this cluster. I think I'll be keeping a wide berth from colleagues.

@noblegiraffe

I’m now intrigued to see which of the dept MsAD takes out.

I was in the maths office for a PPA with a v slightly coughing colleague who then tested positive and (as far as I know) didn’t catch it, but that was alpha.

Ah yes. Good old Alpha, that horrified everyone when it first became know about last autumn. A walk in the park in terms of transmissibility compared with delta. What were we fussing about?!

@noblegiraffe

I’m now intrigued to see which of the dept MsAD takes out.

I was in the maths office for a PPA with a v slightly coughing colleague who then tested positive and (as far as I know) didn’t catch it, but that was alpha.

I hope it's the ones who happily told us all last week that it's just like a cold and they wouldn't even test if they had a cold with a bit of a cough. Or the one who continued to send her son in to our sixth form while he was coughing because "he's been doing LFTs and it's not covid". I hope I DON'T take out the one who has had a son at home with it and has been taking turns with his wife to stay at home. Or the one who lives with her vulnerable dad.

[quote SquashedFlyBiscuits]@MsAwesomeDragon I am the opposite of you 4 positive lfds and 3 negative pcrs this week. My symptoms are: headache, body aches, fatigue, blocked nose, no sense of smell, cough, temperature
Symptoms have gone through the whole family. Each person's lfd lines appear and get stronger as their symptoms come on. Lots of positive lfds all round and all our pcrs are negative.
Totally confused here. Anyone got any ideas?[/quote]

When it was going bonkers here in the north east we definitely had some shenanigans with weird tests.

One colleague ended up isolating for over a month due to contact, then her Dh and kids got it. She got ill but repeatedly tested negative on pcrs.

Gp said to treat as if it was. Around day 8 of her symptoms track and trace said she could go out only for her to test positive with a lft the next day and then positive on pcr.

None of them had been anywhere for 3 weeks so her viral loads must have been weird. She had Pfizer in January and this was in July.

Sorry to hear you're poorly squashed, get well soon.

Well I have tested positive on lfd again this morning. Dh is point blank refusing to do any more lfds or pcrs as the results don't make sense and both 119 and our gp just 'read off the script' and won't acknowledge that this is usual and probably needs some sort of investigation. Ds has gone back to school as his last temp was Sat am and he is all fine except for a residual cough. I am still not well enough to be in school so I am at home. Perhaps we will become a super spreader event and perhaps we won't. Who bloody knows and only time will tell. I am just so stressed and frustrated by the whole thing. I might go for another pcr again today just for a change of scene. All is bloody stupid.

Still havering whether to take ds for a vaccine today (14)

What does he want to do Mistress?

He wants to get it to get a day of school (for the side effects) He is quite bothered about Covid in general.
I realise I'm really keen for the teenagers I teach to get it, so feel hypocritical for having a wobble myself.

Mine doesn't want to have it. I've listened to his reasoning which is that he would have it if myself or my parents or anyone else in his life who was vulnerable couldn't have it, he would have it if he used public transport or went to crowded places other than school but as it is we're all immunised and he only goes to school, home and playing out and he can't see any benefit for him.

He's 14 too. I decided to go with what he wants so long as he's thought about it and his reasoning seems rational to me. Confess I'm a bit relieved.

Might he need it for travel, Honey?

That's interesting, thank you. Have just read the info given out for this age group in Ireland which is more positive than the Scottish info leaflet! He will honestly go either way. I wouldn't force him if he had a clear opinion himself. He would be very upset if his dad or I (50s) got Covid though we are as likely to get it at work as from him I suppose. I might go for the first dose but not have a second, given risks increase after second. I still think Covid is a sneaky fucker and you can't know how bad it will be for one individual.

One jab wouldn’t cover him for travel and he said if it comes to travelling he’d rethink.

Firstly, checking in! Then - clearly also needing a PCR as have negative LFTs a shedload of symptoms named here.

Lastly. We have in school visitors of the small, scary and furry kind. FML.

Aargh @DenbyChina!

Apparently Scottish guidance re school contacts has changed, schools now ARE informing and requesting neg LFT before return - primary and secondary:

mobile.twitter.com/ourkaty/status/1439625527749394437?t=ZoT6_6eOfINCcu7mIVzpAg&s=19&fbclid=IwAR0XKSotFgNHUvZtUPJIRKcn9HR6q4omKww5g4LGXfokhXIlSuUBUsW_vqg

“Low risk close contacts” ha ha

Right, I've had an idea!
Why are we putting up with this broom cupboard? We need to set our sights a little higher for ourselves, so, assuming the Republic is temporarily suspended, let's book into a SWANKY 5* SPA HOTEL for the next thread, with a butler room service for any champagne or canapes we require.
If we don't look after ourselves, then no one else is going to!

I’m in. So we’re walking out of schools?

Ooh, I like the sound of a swanky spa hotel. That sounds much better than a broom cupboard.

Although Honey did have a plan for when we fill up the Broom Cupboard, a sort of Caretaker Republic. (No Site staff involvement necessary though, phew)

I'm definitely up for a spa hotel. Can it have an outdoor jacuzzi with drinks service please?