End of furlough and back to work? What to do ?

I know you must be worried but eventually all of us have to face the prospect of getting back to work/normality. Perhaps concentrate on the statistics which show a very small percentage of people infected end up in intensive care and many people living with others with a full blown case of the virus do not become ill themselves.
My neighbour was rushed to hospital, spent one night there, tested positive, was sent home to be cared for by her husband and three children. One week later she was out chatting with us from a distance. Nobody else caught it from her.

I thought he should be off for 12 weeks? Am I wrong?

NotSpaghetti Furloughing has to be a minimum of 3 weeks and can be stopped and restarted as many times as the business needs for each employee.

You say you have room for 'own space'. Maybe you could divide your house into two separate zones, his and hers?

As Esspee said it's worrying but we do have to face the prospect at some point. I can understand your concerns Flakesdayout but I think you and your partner are proposing some sensible precautions which should suffice.

How will he travel to and from work?

Have you had the 'shielded' letter from the CMO?
Is his employer aware of this?

This is a tricky one. If he has to return or face losing his job he will have to take every precaution, but yes, this lockdown is more to protect the NHS so they are able to cope.

We will all have to face the outside world at some point and be aware of what precautions we will need to take to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.

His suggestions sound sensible.

Notagran - but if Flakesdayout is immunocompromised isn't she on the 12 week shielding?
My daughter-in-law cannot work because she shielding my son (apparently) for 12 weeks.

Flakesdayout says she is shielded so I don't understand...

That's why I wondered if Flakesdayout had received the shielded letter from the CMO.

If so, as stated in the letter, her DH should also be staying at home until advised further and his employer should understand that. He or she can claim back the part wages.
If no letter has been received, precautions need to be taken if he returns to work.

Having helped my husband furlough and then unfurlough his employees I believe that if someone lives with a person who is on the official shielded list (1.5 million people who have received a letter) then they MUST remain furloughed for the entire 12 weeks. I could be wrong. Also my 28 year old son received the shielding letter in error. His GP surgery rang him to say that they couldn’t understand why he was getting it and he was to ignore it. Having done some research I believe it is because he was once given a purple inhaler when he had a bad chest infection; this is used on a regular basis by people with severe asthma who do not respond to regular brown steroid inhalers. People with severe asthma are on the shielding list.

Hi. I have been working on a shielding helpline and have been asked this question a few times. Only the shielded person is covered by the 12 week period. Other people in the household can be expected to go out if necessary. The precautions sound sensible if followed fully. You are not over reacting - just worried but as Callistemon has said, at some point we all will have to venture out, however cautiously.

I think the advice is that you should sleep in different rooms have different bathrooms (if you can) and separate flannels towels and clothes for washing - which all sounds a lot more difficult than just staying at home. I am shielded too, but fortunately we are both retired.
I there any way your OH could tell his manager about your condition and say that this is more serious than simply maintaining social distancing measures and isolating. If you have ’the letter’ he could take that along and ask to be furloughed until it is safer?

oh Flakesdayout,, I so sympathise, I was going to say, I understand, well I do, as much as one person can for another..
I am not shielded, I am classed as vulnerable , due to physical age in years.,, and I am getting scared,, thinking I don`t want to go out, yet I am desperate to be released,, so I understand the scared part..

it seems so ,, not right though, and yes, as someone said earlier,, this is to do with protecting the NHS,, now I wonder about that,,, the NHS or the people who work there? well that is a load of ........ isn`t it, as the Government (and yes, I confess I voted for them) hasn`t even followed it`s own guidelines,, and not protecting those on the front line.

lots of questions to be answered on this once this is over.

so back to you.... yes, I understand the scared feeling, you are not alone there,, so just hoping that you can protect yourself..

I think the coming out of lockdown will be more difficult than the lockdown. I am sure people will be worried not only about catching the virus but giving it to others so I do understand your worries, it is going to be very complicated but your partners idea sounds a good one, he will need to do his own clothes washing though.

All he need do is place his own clothes only in the machine with a biological detergent and wash at 60 degrees or more on a full cycle.

Ok, so perhaps protecting the NHS is an odd term but it's not my choice of words.

It means not overwhelming the NHS so that they can cope better with patients who may need intensive or critical care and, consequently, protecting all of us.

We can't stay in hibernation for ever.
What would be the point of living the rest of our lives in fear?

It depends on whether or not the OP has had the letter and needs to follow current advice.

And to wash with proper tablet soap, not those shower gels.

Shielding Guidance for clarification
:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19

Other people living with the shielded person can work .

Sorry , I clicked too soon.

This is the paragraph that refers.

Living with other people
The rest of your household do not need to start shielding themselves, but they should do what they can to support you in shielding and to carefully follow guidance on social distancing.

At home you should:

Minimise the time other people living with you spend in shared spaces such as kitchens, bathrooms and sitting areas, and keep shared spaces well ventilated.
Keep 2 metres (3 steps) away from people you live with and encourage them to sleep in a different bed where possible. If you can, use a separate bathroom from the rest of the household. Use separate towels from the other people in your house, both for drying themselves after bathing or showering and for hand-hygiene purposes.
If you share a toilet and bathroom with others, it’s important that they are cleaned every time after use (for example, wiping surfaces you have come into contact with). Consider drawing up a rota for bathing, with you using the facilities first.
If you share a kitchen with others, avoid using it while they’re present. If you can, take your meals back to your room to eat. If you have one, use a dishwasher to clean and dry the family’s used crockery and cutlery. If this is not possible, wash them using your usual washing-up liquid and warm water and dry them thoroughly. If you are using your own utensils, remember to use a separate tea towel for drying these.
Everyone in your household should regularly wash their hands, avoid touching their face and clean frequently touched surfaces.
If the rest of your household follows this guidance, there is no need for them to take the full protective measures to keep you safe.

Thank you to you all. Yes I do have the official letter with regards to Shielding. As my partner isn't my carer as such it does not state categorically that he must stay at home. He has his own transport for work and sits in a machine all day and then travels back alone. (We hope) My point is that other people on the site use the toilets, may have used his machine over the last two weeks and are generally around. We do not sleep together (snoring) and yes could use separate bathrooms. I think I would be happier if it was a couple of weeks down the line when things have hopefully quietened a little. He is checking today whether the whole company are going back or just him Maybe I am over reacting a little but it is scary times. .

My daughter has to strip off, shower, hair wash, clean clothes on every time she goes out as her husband is vulnerable with a severe heart condition. Sadly, it’s something I think will take a lot of courage to stop when life returns to some normality.

Can you get hold of antiseptic wipes for him to use at work, Flakesdayout and gloves to use when touching his machinery?

It might be worthwhile contacting his employer too.

I can see huge problems on the horizon . I looked at the ACAS website and there are people who are just refusing to return to work because they are scared . I really can see both sides but I know as an employer I couldn’t go on paying wages and overheads for ever and eventually there will be no work for anyone to return to.

What a difficult situation Flakes! I think your partner's suggestions are reasonable, given that he needs to go to work to keep his job. Unfortunately, we are going to have to live with this virus for a long time, and in the end, we all have to make a series of judgements about what we are prepared to sacrifice in daily life until that vaccine comes along. If truth be told, if you are on immunosuppressants, you were already vulnerable to a number of infections, such as seasonal flu which kills thousands of people every year, and whilst you might have been warned about avoiding infection, you probably would not have worried about your partner going to work. We might not be able to change what's happening, but we can change our thoughts and feelings about it, and I acknowledge that's hard! I am myself somewhat vulnerable, having chest wall and lung damage from cancer treatment. I think it has helped to have faced that I might not get through that, so every day is a bonus. Good luck and Bon Courage!