Letter: To My Surprise, I Didn’t Have to Self-Isolate After My Wife Tested Covid-Positive

Published on: 27 Dec, 2021
Updated on: 27 Dec, 2021

Name and address supplied

My wife, who works in a NHS hospital in Guildford, felt ill on Christmas Eve. She conducted a Covid lateral flow test which was positive and confirmed with a PCR test.

I and my family prepared ourselves for a week of isolation.

Duly filling in the online track and trace form my wife gave all her contacts. I received an email from them as expected but to my huge surprise, it said: “You do not have to self-isolate.”

Thinking it must be a mistake, I checked up on the guidance and it confirmed the advice. The guidance states: “…if you are fully vaccinated or aged under 18 years and 6 months, and you live in the same household as someone with Covid-19, you are not legally required to self-isolate. However, you are strongly advised to take a lateral flow test every day for 7 days, and to self-isolate, if any of these test results are positive”.

She has symptoms like a heavy cold but she is tired and sleeping a lot but thankfully, is otherwise fine.

But is the guidance right? My wife has to self-isolate but I, in close contact with her all day and night, do not.

With the Omicron variant so rampant that it is reported that one in 45 people nationally have Covid, should her contacts not be self-isolating?

Or is this effectively a change in policy aiming for herd immunity?

Responses to Letter: To My Surprise, I Didn’t Have to Self-Isolate After My Wife Tested Covid-Positive

Arthur Warwick Braisher Reply

December 28, 2021 at 7:16 am

I am sorry to hear about the letter writer’s wife, hopefully she is making a speedy recovery.

I am glad she had confirmed her lateral flow result with a PCR test. My nephew was unwell and took four lateral flow tests, all negative, but was not allowed back to school until he had a PCR test, which turned out positive.

I would not rely on negative lateral flow test results.