GAZETTE readers have urged people to be considerate to others as the legal duty to isolate after testing positive for Covid-19 was scrapped.
Boris Johnson delivered his vision for living with coronavirus, including an end to mandatory self-isolation and universal free tests for the general public in England, on Monday.
The official public health advice remains both adults and children testing positive for the virus should stay at home for five days, but this will not be enforced by law.
But when asked if they would still isolate after testing positive for the virus, Gazette readers remain on the side of caution.
Fiona Knight said: “Yes, because having a clinically extremely vulnerable child who is too young to have any sort of protection, I know how worrying it is having to go out knowing people could be right next to you with Covid.
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“My son has had to miss out on so much just to try and keep safe. Please think of those people and stop spreading it. Just because it is merely a cough with you, it does not mean it will be to someone else.”
Lucy West added: “For all those saying no, that’s a real shame. Surely if you are sick, you stay off work anyway?
“I’ve just recovered, and yes I’m lucky I could work from home so did, but I didn’t have the energy to be in the office.
“I wasn’t sick but definitely running at 60 per cent – I couldn’t have gone out much as I was simply too knackered.”
Calling for compulsory sick pay for everyone, Joannie Tilston said: “Yes, it’s how we should have always behaved when we weren’t well.
“I have said since Covid started the one thing that should come from it is compulsory sick pay for everyone.”
And Wayne Richard Baker urged people not to be “selfish”, saying: “I work in elderly care, so yes. I have a duty of care to my residents, even if I felt well enough to work.
“Too many people have left the world long before their time because of lapses and selfish behaviour.”
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