Quarantine Life

nimbleranger17 said:I’ve been going to the AMC for three months now, and honestly, it’s just become a sea of plexiglass shields. Last time I actually sat down to watch something, the driver—an older guy, probably well into his sixties—didn't even bother wearing a mask.

I caught an Amazon taxi the other day without any plexiglass—one of the first dozen they rolled out—and even the younger driver wasn't wearing a mask.

I had a driver with one of those so-called hospitality masks, which honestly serves zero purpose, especially in a taxi.
(not AMC)

Well, my results just came back, and I’m feeling pretty discouraged.

It’s honestly so frustrating. Can someone please just confirm one thing for me? If I go get an antibody test and it shows I’ve already had the virus before, does that actually change anything? Because if I end up being around someone who tests positive, am I still stuck going into isolation regardless?

rustydriver said:Well, my results just came back, and I’m feeling pretty discouraged.

It’s honestly so frustrating. Can someone please just confirm one thing for me? If I go get an antibody test and it shows I’ve already had the virus before, does that actually change anything? Because if I end up being around someone who tests positive, am I still stuck going into isolation regardless?

I actually have antibodies myself, though I never officially tested positive for COVID.
From what I’ve been reading, they aren't going to recognize that. It's completely insane.

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Well, that’s that. All I can really say is I'm asking people to take me off their contact lists from here on out. I have absolutely no intention of spending the next six months living like a hermit in total isolation.

It’s actually wild how things work out. You somehow manage to slip through the cracks during a free COVID test, only to have it come back positive automatically when you aren't even there.🤣

I have the option to work from home part-time, which isn't a financial issue, but we're essentially trapped in an apartment with no balcony. At least the ceilings are twelve feet high and the rooms feel spacious. I just desperately need to move; being shut indoors is becoming unbearable.

My daughter hasn't gotten over it either, despite having been in quarantine twice already because of school and now because of her dad. My son hasn't either, though he doesn't live here—we just see him constantly.
The data shows "positive" results; my husband gave my info to a public health official, so I was automatically placed in isolation.
Basically, they track everyone in the household and coworkers, so I’ll likely face more rounds of isolation until the vaccine rolls out. This was my biggest window to get sick since my husband is my primary contact. My test came back negative, and I don't have clear symptoms. A few days of headaches at the start could be anything. That shallow breathing? Maybe just a panic response on the day he hit a 102 fever and looked terrible...
I haven't lost my sense of taste or smell.

Alexander Phillips3 said:Everyone living paycheck to paycheck is terrified of this nonsense.😁 How does it even work? Most people I deal with barely know my name, let alone anything else. They have my number, sure. But then what? I just hand over some cash and suddenly I'm off the hook?🤣

Seems so.

Alexander Phillips3 said:It’s actually wild how things work out. You somehow manage to slip through the cracks during a free COVID test, only to have it come back positive automatically when you aren't even there.🤣

How long did you wait before getting tested?
I’d go, just to see how I managed to stay healthy—my daughter, who's graduating this year, feels the same. My husband was out sick for 12 days straight.

The only thing that makes sense is that we've already cleared it...

mellowskipper said:I actually have antibodies myself, though I never officially tested positive for COVID.
From what I’ve been reading, they aren't going to recognize that. It's completely insane.

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Kenneth Nelson26 said:How long did you wait before getting tested?
I’d go, just to see how I managed to stay healthy—my daughter, who's graduating this year, feels the same. My husband was out sick for 12 days straight.

The only thing that makes sense is that we've already cleared it...

It isn't a rule that everyone in a household gets sick. Maybe you just have an incredible immune system—or maybe you were asymptomatic. Or, perhaps, you already had it.
An antibody test usually makes the most sense about three weeks after those last symptoms finally clear up.

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It seems they didn't get sick.
For those of us who showed no symptoms, how long should we wait here in the States?

mellowskipper said:It isn't a rule that everyone in a household gets sick. Maybe you just have an incredible immune system—or maybe you were asymptomatic. Or, perhaps, you already had it.
An antibody test usually makes the most sense about three weeks after those last symptoms finally clear up.

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I got my flu shot right before my husband fell ill; that might be part of it.

My daughter was certain she was already over it, but these studies suggest immunity only lasts about 3 to 6 months. We're halfway through the school year now, and this flu strain is strange...

mellowskipper said:It isn't a rule that everyone in a household gets sick. Maybe you just have an incredible immune system—or maybe you were asymptomatic. Or, perhaps, you already had it.
An antibody test usually makes the most sense about three weeks after those last symptoms finally clear up.

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nimbleranger17 said:So, we’ve been stuck in this exact same loop for seven months now, every single day without fail?

What do you mean "every day"??

Yeah, we hang out outdoors,
like walking along the beach with some people, hiking with others, or meeting up at the park with one friend who has little kids—we don't even carpool together,
but obviously it’s not every damn day, especially now in the winter when the days are so short 🤷,
we're all in our thirties, some in their early 40s, working full-time jobs, some have kids... we aren't seeing each other daily like we were when we were 15 and had nothing but free time🤔

We all feel the same way about not wanting to put anyone in a weird spot by lying for each other or hiding who we're seeing. Plus, honestly, nobody would feel good being close contact if they weren't in isolation and potentially carrying a virus around before symptoms even show up.

Kenneth Nelson26 said:It seems they didn't get sick.
For those of us who showed no symptoms, how long should we wait here in the States?

Well, then—if you're up for it—I suppose you could just get it done today. Or not. It's really up to you, I guess.

Kenneth Nelson26 said:I got my flu shot right before my husband fell ill; that might be part of it.

My daughter was certain she was already over it, but these studies suggest immunity only lasts about 3 to 6 months. We're halfway through the school year now, and this flu strain is strange...

That strange flu—the one that wasn't actually a flu—my daughter had it too. And honestly, the entire school was basically wiped out. It was back in January and February of last year. Maybe it was COVID, maybe it wasn't... I guess it’s hard to say for sure now.
First they were telling everyone to expect immunity to last maybe three to six months—then they bumped that up to eight—and now, apparently, the latest research is suggesting we might actually be looking at permanent immunity. I guess things change depending on who you ask.

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I’ve been wondering about how things work if I travel into the US and have to go into quarantine—say for 10 to 14 days. Let's say I'm looking at a 10-day window. If I take a test on day 5 and it comes back positive, does my quarantine period just reset to zero because of that positive result? Like, would I then be stuck in isolation for another full 10 days?

Check the official government sites, but it looks like they're basically saying you can't even step foot in the US without a negative COVID test
and if you don't have one, you aren't getting in—it's not like they'll just let you go into quarantine instead.🤔

I'm thinking about a situation where you arrive in the States without a negative test result and then decide to get tested once you've landed. My main question is—if I choose to get tested here in the US—what happens if I have to stay in self-isolation for a few days while waiting for those results to come back?

gentlehawk12 said:I'm thinking about a situation where you arrive in the States without a negative test result and then decide to get tested once you've landed. My main question is—if I choose to get tested here in the US—what happens if I have to stay in self-isolation for a few days while waiting for those results to come back?

Here’s the lowdown as I see it:

If you're coming from a part of the European Union that's under the "green zone" per the pandemic agency—basically based on infection rates versus population density and all that—

You don't need any test to enter the US.

If you're coming from a region that isn't green (orange or red), you'll need a negative PCR test if you want to dodge a 10-day self-isolation period. Nobody ever mentioned 14 days to me.

If you don't have a negative PCR test but you meet the optional entry requirements—like being an American citizen, owning property, etc.—then you'll be handed a 10-day isolation order. It's entirely up to you whether you want to test once you're in the US; if you test here and the result comes back negative, your isolation ends the second you get that answer.

If you decide against testing, your 10-day isolation just runs its course and ends on its own.

Just in case you aren't feeling anything at all, but you take a test and it comes back positive:

An asymptomatic COVID-19 patient

For those asymptomatic COVID-19 cases, the recommendation is to wrap up your isolation 10 days after that first positive test or when they swabed you for SARS-CoV-2, provided you don't suddenly start feeling sick during that window.
If you actually do start showing symptoms, then you fall under the criteria for symptomatic patients, where everything revolves around the day those symptoms finally hit.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/guidance/isolation-quarantine/748

When is the government actually gonna drop those self-isolation checks for November?

Still hasn't hit my account. 🍿