I'm so confused by the self-isolation rules!

LegalNim

My husband had a cough on Thursday evening so his work said not to come in yesterday. Today he got an email saying a colleague in his department has tested positive. My husband was in close contact with this person on Thursday (they cannot self isolate properly at their job). He obviously could not have caught it from this colleague (due to the timing of symptoms) but they may have caught it from the same third party or something? My husband has asked for a test to be delivered because there are none for him to go to in our area (the government website literally says there's no option to go to a test centre from our location. His work has told everyone in the department that they must self-isolate for two weeks and to get a test only if they have symptoms. 
Does anyone know whether the whole household must isolate or just him? The government website says the whole household must isolate if one member has symptoms OR a positive test and then says has symptoms AND a positive test. I can't find guidance on whether his household bubble is affected as part of his workplace bubble. 

silvercar

I’ve been corrected: You need to self isolate if you have been in close contact with someone Who has symptoms or who has had a positive test.

theoretica

Where does it say 'symptoms and positive test'? Everything I can see applies if someone in your family has either - or both.  ie this applies for people with a positive test and it applies for people with symptoms.

Thrugelmir

LegalNim said:

 He obviously could not have caught it from this colleague (due to the timing of symptoms) but they may have caught it from the same third party or something? 

Covid can survive on some hard surfaces for up to 3 days. 

LegalNim

Thrugelmir said:

LegalNim said:

 He obviously could not have caught it from this colleague (due to the timing of symptoms) but they may have caught it from the same third party or something? 

Covid can survive on some hard surfaces for up to 3 days. 

Yes, but my husband saw the colleague on Thursday at around 1pm and developed a cough around 4pm on Thursday. The colleague also developed a cough that afternoon/evening. So, due to the timing, he did not catch it when he saw him at 1pm because you don't develop symptoms within three hours.

MalMonroe

This is what the government says 

"If you live with others, the person who has symptoms should stay at home for 10 days from the day their symptoms started. Anyone else who lives with you who doesn’t have symptoms should isolate for 14 days from the date your symptoms started. 

If others develop symptoms within the 14 days, they need to stay at home for 10 days from the day their symptoms started. They should do this even if it takes them over the 14-day isolation period."

It's quite clear here that the whole family has to isolate. It'd be crazy for just one person in  family to isolate while the rest of the family are out and about potentially picking up more infections.

LegalNim

I think I'm justified in being confused because the first two comments completely disagree, oh dear.

MalMonroe

silvercar said:

You need to self isolate if you have been in close contact with someone who tests positive. So at the moment your husband needs to self isolate and you don't. If you husband has a positive test himself, then anyone that has been in contact with him needs to isolate for 14 days from when they were last in close contact with him.
So at the moment you don't need to self isolate, but you may wish to isolate from him, so that if he does test positive, your 14 days would start from today.

That's not true.  The whole family has to isolate. As per govt guidelines. 

LegalNim

theoretica said:

Where does it say 'symptoms and positive test'? Everything I can see applies if someone in your family has either - or both.  ie this applies for people with a positive test and it applies for people with symptoms.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/how-long-to-self-isolate/?fbclid=IwAR1yttE5THs_RLDIQrdaZ5eM-oB17SoXIjcFm-Pvf5NsPAnPpWkXXoFG05w On this page, under "If you live with someone who has symptoms or tested positive". I got mixed up thinking it was the government website, it was the NHS website.

Thrugelmir

LegalNim said:

Thrugelmir said:

LegalNim said:

 He obviously could not have caught it from this colleague (due to the timing of symptoms) but they may have caught it from the same third party or something? 

Covid can survive on some hard surfaces for up to 3 days. 

Yes, but my husband saw the colleague on Thursday at around 1pm and developed a cough around 4pm on Thursday. The colleague also developed a cough that afternoon/evening. So, due to the timing, he did not catch it when he saw him at 1pm because you don't develop symptoms within three hours.

With an incubation period of of 1-11 days. Could have become infected at an earlier date (if it's a positive test result). Doesn't require physical contact to transmit. Hence my comment. 

LegalNim

Thrugelmir said:

LegalNim said:

Thrugelmir said:

LegalNim said:

 He obviously could not have caught it from this colleague (due to the timing of symptoms) but they may have caught it from the same third party or something? 

Covid can survive on some hard surfaces for up to 3 days. 

Yes, but my husband saw the colleague on Thursday at around 1pm and developed a cough around 4pm on Thursday. The colleague also developed a cough that afternoon/evening. So, due to the timing, he did not catch it when he saw him at 1pm because you don't develop symptoms within three hours.

With an incubation period of of 1-11 days. Could have become infected at an earlier date (if it's a positive test result). Doesn't require physical contact to transmit. Hence my comment. 

Yes. Exactly.  That's exactly what I said in my OP.