Quarantine Life

Lawrence Reed3 said:I wonder how much longer they actually plan on keeping these isolation rules for people who test positive. Honestly, the whole thing feels pretty pointless now—especially since so many people aren't even bothering to get tested after being exposed. I know plenty of folks who either skip the testing entirely or just do one of those quick home kits just because they're curious. I've actually been around infected people myself a few times, and I can't say it ever crossed my mind to go get tested just so I'd be stuck stuck at home for seven days while feeling perfectly fine! It doesn't really seem like it makes much of a difference in stopping the spread anyway, if you ask me.

If you're healthy, you don't have to "rot at home for 7 days." If you're infected, you shouldn't be out walking around.

Contact tracers haven't been enforcing isolation for those exposed for a long time now.

A little while back, I came across some reading suggesting that if you test positive for COVID but are asymptomatic—or at least just dealing with mild symptoms—you could technically head out, provided you’re wearing an N95 mask. But since then, there hasn't been any follow-up on that... silence. As it stands, I've tested positive myself—stuck in isolation until Sunday—but I find myself wondering what that actually entails in practice. Does it mean I am strictly forbidden from stepping foot outside under any circumstances? Even if I wear an N95, maintain social distancing, and follow all the other protocols? And honestly, what are the actual consequences if I do go out? Is there some sort of registry tracking this, or is it all just theoretical...
🤔

If you ask me, this whole self-isolation thing is just plain ridiculous, especially since so many of us have dealt with everything from nasty strep throat to the common flu, and I guess there was never any real penalty for just popping down to the CVS or picking up your kid from daycare.
I mean, let’s be honest, once this whole COVID mess settles, some other new plague is probably going to roll right in anyway, 100%.
Besides, I’ve never been one for people hovering over me and coughing or sneezing right in my face... honestly, just back off, or go wander off with your own crowd of loudmouths who love to gossip under their breath. Seriously, okay?!?

Self-isolation lost its purpose a long time ago—I honestly don't get why people are still doing it. I mean, you look at one officially confirmed case, but who knows how many others are actually positive? Maybe they don't even realize it, or maybe they just take a home test and then skip the official clinic visit just to dodge the hassle. It makes me wonder... why do people even bother getting tested anymore? Personally, it just stresses me out. If my symptoms feel like a basic cold, I’m just going to treat it like any other little bug and move on. I really don't care which specific virus is causing it.

Lawrence Reed3 said:Self-isolation lost its purpose a long time ago—I honestly don't get why people are still doing it. I mean, you look at one officially confirmed case, but who knows how many others are actually positive? Maybe they don't even realize it, or maybe they just take a home test and then skip the official clinic visit just to dodge the hassle. It makes me wonder... why do people even bother getting tested anymore? Personally, it just stresses me out. If my symptoms feel like a basic cold, I’m just going to treat it like any other little bug and move on. I really don't care which specific virus is causing it.

Well... there's sick leave, for instance ☕

How else am I supposed to get time off work? I tested positive on an at-home kit—but I still had to go through the motions and see a doctor—just so they could officially sign off on my medical leave.

The whole concept of isolation became obsolete a long time ago—mostly because they don't even enforce it for close contacts anymore. You're contagious two days before you even feel a sniffle, and with Omicron being as infectious as it is... well, you know. It's probably best to just give up on the whole thing and treat it like any other bug you have to ride out for a few days—wear a mask if you absolutely have to step out... and that's that.

What I'm curious about, though—are there actually still penalties? Like, for someone in self-isolation wearing a mask who just pops down to the local grocery store for a loaf of bread? Or is everything just a suggestion at this point? Or perhaps something else entirely?

Joshua Gray75 said:Well... there's sick leave, for instance ☕

How else am I supposed to get time off work? I tested positive on an at-home kit—but I still had to go through the motions and see a doctor—just so they could officially sign off on my medical leave.

The whole concept of isolation became obsolete a long time ago—mostly because they don't even enforce it for close contacts anymore. You're contagious two days before you even feel a sniffle, and with Omicron being as infectious as it is... well, you know. It's probably best to just give up on the whole thing and treat it like any other bug you have to ride out for a few days—wear a mask if you absolutely have to step out... and that's that.

What I'm curious about, though—are there actually still penalties? Like, for someone in self-isolation wearing a mask who just pops down to the local grocery store for a loaf of bread? Or is everything just a suggestion at this point? Or perhaps something else entirely?

If you're actually sick, your doctor will sign you off even without a test. A little sore throat or some sniffles aren't really "sick" enough to require medical leave, so some people don't even bother.
Doctors haven't been sending everyone for testing for quite a while now—at least not all of them—they just issue sick leave based on your symptoms. A friend of mine has a primary care physician who generally doesn't send people to get tested. They just grant the leave just like they used to for the flu. He mentioned that in most cases, the people asking for tests are the ones with mild symptoms who shouldn't even be seeing a doctor, let alone requesting leave (like a tiny sore throat or a cold)—it's pretty obvious they're just looking for a reason to stay home.
Even my own doctor didn't send me for a test when I caught it back in January—he actually just handled my sick leave over the phone and then hung up once I told him I was feeling okay.

Lawrence Reed3 said:If you're actually sick, your doctor will sign you off even without a test. A little sore throat or some sniffles aren't really "sick" enough to require medical leave, so some people don't even bother.
Doctors haven't been sending everyone for testing for quite a while now—at least not all of them—they just issue sick leave based on your symptoms. A friend of mine has a primary care physician who generally doesn't send people to get tested. They just grant the leave just like they used to for the flu. He mentioned that in most cases, the people asking for tests are the ones with mild symptoms who shouldn't even be seeing a doctor, let alone requesting leave (like a tiny sore throat or a cold)—it's pretty obvious they're just looking for a reason to stay home.
Even my own doctor didn't send me for a test when I caught it back in January—he actually just handled my sick leave over the phone and then hung up once I told him I was feeling okay.

Listen to that... a little sore throat or a cold—supposedly not worth seeing a doctor or getting tested, let alone taking sick leave...

Exactly. I was actually seeking a test specifically so I could stay home. I'm not sure if you're trolling or what—but once I told my doctor that my at-home kit came back positive, they called me in for testing immediately; there wasn't even a discussion about whether I wanted to or not.

But yes—it's quite obvious that because of this sort of cynical attitude (assuming it's true), we've reached a point where nobody tests anymore, and people just walk around coughing and sneezing—which is precisely how I caught this after avoiding it for two and a half years...
And some of us have elderly parents living under our roof...

I mean... when I think back to the absolute madness surrounding this virus a year or two ago—I didn't care for that either—but I certainly don't care for this blatant ignoring of it now...
☕

As an aside: seven years ago, I ignored what I thought was a "common cold," tried to power through it, and ended up risking a life-threatening complication (everything is fine now, for the moment....)
But still—thank you, though I won't be experimenting with my health again.☕

Furthermore—I still haven't received an answer to my question: am I allowed to go to, say, a local CVS while in self-isolation if I wear a mask (N95)—or am I strictly forbidden from leaving the house (aside from the backyard)?
I mean—if it's all just a common cold.... why am I stuck in self-isolation until Monday?🤔

☕

I mean, technically you're supposed to be stuck indoors.
But honestly, nobody's out there knocking on doors anymore. The only way you'll actually get caught is if you run into someone at a CVS or if a cop pulls you over.

driftingranger2 said:I mean, technically you're supposed to be stuck indoors.
But honestly, nobody's out there knocking on doors anymore. The only way you'll actually get caught is if you run into someone at a CVS or if a cop pulls you over.

I know they aren't checking—but then again, I've heard rumors that you're technically allowed to pop into a grocery store if you're wearing an FFP2 mask (because, really, what are people supposed to do when they need bread...?) So, people were definitely going out—whether it's officially permitted now or just a gray area... well, that's the other half of the story.

driftingranger2 said:I mean, technically you're supposed to be stuck indoors.
But honestly, nobody's out there knocking on doors anymore. The only way you'll actually get caught is if you run into someone at a CVS or if a cop pulls you over.

And just an FYI... I used to work for public works.
The police can totally request data on who was riding the bus or subway at certain times.

Joshua Gray75 said:Listen to that... a little sore throat or a cold—supposedly not worth seeing a doctor or getting tested, let alone taking sick leave...

Exactly. I was actually seeking a test specifically so I could stay home. I'm not sure if you're trolling or what—but once I told my doctor that my at-home kit came back positive, they called me in for testing immediately; there wasn't even a discussion about whether I wanted to or not.

But yes—it's quite obvious that because of this sort of cynical attitude (assuming it's true), we've reached a point where nobody tests anymore, and people just walk around coughing and sneezing—which is precisely how I caught this after avoiding it for two and a half years...
And some of us have elderly parents living under our roof...

I mean... when I think back to the absolute madness surrounding this virus a year or two ago—I didn't care for that either—but I certainly don't care for this blatant ignoring of it now...
☕

As an aside: seven years ago, I ignored what I thought was a "common cold," tried to power through it, and ended up risking a life-threatening complication (everything is fine now, for the moment....)
But still—thank you, though I won't be experimenting with my health again.☕

Furthermore—I still haven't received an answer to my question: am I allowed to go to, say, a local CVS while in self-isolation if I wear a mask (N95)—or am I strictly forbidden from leaving the house (aside from the backyard)?
I mean—if it's all just a common cold.... why am I stuck in self-isolation until Monday?🤔

☕

You really could have just kept that home test result to yourself when you were talking to the doctor! Honestly, I totally get it—I actually lied through my teeth about my own test being negative just so I could wrap up my sick leave early once the symptoms finally cleared out. I wanted to get back to work, you know? Though, to be fair, I didn't even bother taking an actual test myself—I wasn't really interested in all that—but I eventually figured out I had it just because a few other people in my house were down with it at the same time.

So, technically speaking, if you’re in a state with those strict lockdown rules, going out is actually against the law—but honestly? It's not like anyone is doing door-to-door inspections like they used to! You could probably just head to the local CVS or take a quick walk around the block... I mean, you can judge the situation for yourself. I highly doubt the police are going to pull you over or ask for ID just because you're walking to the corner store!

I’ve been scouring the CDC website and I don't see anything stating that a positive test requires a mandatory seven-day quarantine. Did they change the rules again without telling anyone, or is this just left up to whatever an individual decides to do?

Talking about how we handle positive cases in phase 3.
It’s basically a 7 to 10-day isolation period... though there’s also that option where you test on day 5, and if that comes back negative, you can wrap things up early.
The only thing they actually scrapped was the quarantine for close contacts.

Yeah, you're right. I just saw that. So basically, I'm stuck inside for seven days until this fever finally breaks.

Basically, if you aren't feeling any symptoms, you can head to an official testing site after five days. If you test negative, you're good to go and can end your isolation right then and there.