UKC

A member of my staff was in proximity with his step mother, a week ago, and she now has clinical signs and is positive for Corona Virus. They were outside all the time, and all at the burial which they were attending wore masks.

He has been online after being told of her positive test (he was not informed by the NHS App, which he has got), and ended up with advice to quarantine for 14 days from the government web site, and that he won't be allowed to be tested. Both of these things seem contrary to what I understood of protocols. I thought that all at risk contacts were supposed to be tested, even if showing no signs (he is well). In addition, I thought that the time of isolation was supposed to be reduced to ten days now from the previous fourteen days, or have I misunderstood all of this?

I have told him to ring 111, but also whilst waiting to head to a testing site, as I have heard of times when test places are waiting for people to show up for testing, and people being able to go in upon arrival, and be tested there and then.

Some clarification of the protocols as they stand now would be appreciated, and some hint of logic behind the protocols would seem fair.

Thank You 

Rob

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-contacts-of-people-...

"If you have been informed that you are a contact of a person who has had a positive PCR test result for COVID-19, you must stay at home and complete 10 full days isolation."

and

"If you develop any of the following symptoms: a new continuous cough, a high temperature, or a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia), you should arrange to have a PCR test for COVID-19."

So the isolation is 10 days, but you only get a test if you develop symptoms.

The other thing to be aware of is that the 10 days self isolation starts from the last contact with the person not the date they got tested. So they may only have a few days of isolation left if last contact was a week ago.

From the same link as above

"Your isolation period includes the date of your last contact with them and the next 10 full days. This means that if, for example, your last contact with them was at any time on the 15th of the month your isolation period ends at 23:59 hrs on the 25th."

The whole test and trace is a bloody joke, I broke my 1 person 1 van rule to take our apprentice to site to teach him some stuff. He was out with my for 4 days before we found out his uncle who drops him at work every day tested positive. 

The lad was never contacted. He couldn't get a NHS test because he wasn't showing symptoms so I paid for a private test gor him (and me just in case) 

On top of that the official rule in November when this happened was you only need to isolate if you have been contacted by test and trace. 

So far 4 of my employees have been contacted by people who have tested positive that they have been around outside of work but not one of them has been officially contacted. 

When did she develop symptoms though? The Test and Trace cut-off is 48hrs so if she developed symptoms 2 or more days after seeing him then it won't count as a significant contact.

Otherwise it's 10 days self-isolation from date of last contact

No need for test unless they develop symptoms

(The idea is that most people will develop symptoms within 10 days of exposure, and are infectious from about 2 days before symptoms)

Thank you for that. It was confirmed, when I rang the newer number 119, after my colleague rang them, and were told that I could request a test as employer of an essential worker. Thus, I was given a web address, which was a new site for this function.

It proved impossible to log in, as though it asked for the work email, I could not get a password sent to it. So we are no further along with this. So now we just wait until the end of Wednesday, being the 10th day.

He saw his step mother last Sunday, and she developed signs on the following day.

One of the advisors said that the ten days start from the Monday, but biologically and logically, as well as legally, it started on last Sunday.