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

Yes. I believe so. Apparently if humidity is right and UV strong enough it massively shortens the half-life.

Apparently sunlight has been found to kill the virus.

Teetime - 60° is no longer thought to be hot enough to destroy this virus. It appears to need to be nearly boiling to do that.

You can download the research here as a pdf:
www.researchgate.net/publication/340583929_Evaluation_of_heating_and_chemical_protocols_for_inactivating_SARS-CoV-2/link/5e92e487a6fdcca7890e3dfe/download

I work with children under 5.
We have been told to spray disinfectant on our car seats, steering wheel etc anything you touch in the car.
I go straight into our garage where the washer is and put all my clothes in there. I have a bath, wash my hair and then put the towel in the wash too. Then I see my family.
I also spray my shoes and leave them untouched for a few days.
This is the advice we were given from employers.

Flakesdayout, your husband’s employers seem very reasonable and have offered sensible precautions to minimise transference of potential infection. There are some who are not, my son’s employers included.
There’s no denying it’s a very worrying time for all as we adjust to this ‘new normal’ until things progress towards another ‘new normal’ in day to day living. Best wishes to you xx

What I mean about getting better is no guarantee that by waiting another month to go to work the situation will be that much better ? We don’t know about immunity or if there is a second wave. If he’s safe then he’s safe now or later.

If he travels by car and works outside and uses sanitizer wipes on the parts of the machine he touches ( wearing plastic gloves at the petrol station) Uses sanitizer in the toilets and opens the door with paper or ‘nudging with elbow’ stays 2 m away from others and isn’t inside offices and everyone wears masks he should be ok. I don’t see how he could pick it up ? If he then showers , sleeps separately, uses separate bathroom sounds like you did as much as you could other than persuading his company to give him more time. But no guarantee it will get better.

Hi, I too am shielding and my husband works full time as an ambulance paramedic. He is treating people with the virus while at work so this is obviously a big worry for us.
He changes out of his uniform before coming home and transports uniform in a bag, leaving them in the garage then washing them all together at 60 degrees. He gels hands on entering the house, then straight in shower. We are lucky in having more than one toilet/ bathroom and have been sleeping in separate rooms. Other than that we follow all the government advice about cleaning and hand washing etc. Apart from that, it’s just fingers crossed and hope for the best! (Our son is also home from Uni and living with us).

Sorry, clicked too soon. Meant to say that the precautions your partner's firm is taking should help, but I would still be thinking of living separately for a while. However, I am very worried about taking chances. Not everyone feels like me.

It's a very difficult problem and I don't blame anyone for being scared. Expecting people who live with shielded people to return to work now seems illogical to me. How can you be shielded when your own family is coming in and out? The shielding rule should cover everyone in the household.

It is true, of course, that we will have to come out of isolation eventually. However, nothing really has changed. We have probably helped the NHS to cope, because of the lockdown, but the virus is as active as ever and medical treatment is still very limited in what it can do. Vulnerable people should be protected until something changes - a vaccine, a treatment or, at the very least, a comprehensive system to test and trace. That should have been done at the beginning...

Sorry, I know this doesn't help to solve the problem. There is no perfect answer. All the advice here about hygiene is very sensible, and you might have to think seriously about dividing your home temporarily into his and hers zones. Not an easy problem to solve.

So glad to hear that, Good luck to you both!

Hi,
My DH and I are in the same position as you, but it was me going back to work after 3 weeks in isolation. TBH I was terrified but DH been house bound for 20 years so he wasn't having me in the same position as him and after strong words of his wisdom I returned for my 8.5 hour shift. TBH it will be as fearful for him as you. First day was a nightmare getting into a work routine, self distancing, own food, mug, cutlery, tea towel etc? Bit of a nuisance but as long as your hubby takes good precautions at work and on his return changes and disinfects shoes in the garage. Honestly, you will be fine!

Quick update. My OH has spoken to his boss. They are giving him paper overalls, ordinary overalls, work clothes, gloves, wipes and masks. They are arranging for him to collect his van with another employee who has been sensible. Everyone on the site has been told to avoid him and let him stay in his machine alone. He has even said he will 'pee' in a bottle! (Billy no mates). At home I will cook before he gets in, he will do the garage strip and put his clothes in a bag ready for washing which he will do. Crockery and cutlery into the dishwasher and everything can be anti-bacced. Im thinking this may work :-). As for immunosuppressants - I had long chat with one of my medical team who explained what they do and I am clearer on that too. Hopefully in a years time I will be off them and fairly normal again.

If you can manage separate bathrooms, I would get him to stay in his room when at home (hooray! no childcare duties!) and use his own bathroom.

You could cook his food and leave it by his door. He could carefully wash his own dishes in his bathroom before you take them. Then you could wash them again and then wash your own hands.

It'd be harder if you shared a bathroom but since you don't...

Well if the furlough stops then he will have to work he sounds sensible so my advice is let him work and change in the garage and wash his own clothes get in the shower. Sleep and eat in fact everything seperate. I agree with other comments re immunosuppressants you are vulnerable and always will be you decide what risks you are prepared to take.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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. .

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.

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 .

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

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.

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.