Lovely friends - not!!

Crazy. Despite all the stuff about rules. Everyone needs to look out for each other. If you thought there was a chance you had some other contagious illness would you go to dinner at someone’s house? Be it norovirus, flu or a common cold.

Well the deed has been done so to speak now. And how very selfish of them to socialise. If it was me, I would get it off my chest and send a carefully worded text, expressing how I feel..not being rude, but getting the message across. Then, give them a wide berth until/unless you start to feel differently over time. Who needs enemies....

How awful I’d be furious too

This is so wrong! Both my DS and DIL have the virus at the moment and as soon as they had symptoms everyone they'd been in contact with in the last two weeks was told immediately! Texts or email or telephone. Can't believe your friends were so irresponsible. My DIL seems to have a mild case, DS is in bed but coping so I have everything crossed that doesn't change.... My DH and I hadn't seen them for a while but My DIL still let us know their situation straight away. (We're a very close family anyway but even if we weren't I'm sure she would have done that.) I'm not given to panicking but think everyone should take this virus seriously and your friends show no care for you or the others they've put at risk.

Definitely take off of Christmas card list. I so hope you stay free of the virus x

What lousy “friends”. I would be furious to say the least ???

This woman was extremely irresponsible coming to your house with symptoms but any one there might have been incubating the illness without yet having symptoms. If she had said nothing about her symptoms during the meal and then you had gone to someone else for dinner, as it seems to be something you think it is safe to do, you could be the one to pass on coronavirus you had picked up from her. You were all indoors where the virus is breathed out and not blown away, presumably sitting in the same room breathing together for some hours, without masks at least when you were eating. The lesson from all this is that you cannot rely on anyone else you are with to be covid-free. You can only keep yourself safe by avoiding such environments. I hope you will all be OK including your friend. Perhaps you will be able to forgive her. It is natural to be angry when we are frightened. I would be angry too. But we are all in need of forgiveness at times. If the dinner had been a few days earlier she might have come without symptoms but incubating the illness and probably even more infectious. Good luck to you all.

Isn’t what they did actually illegal? I thought that if you have symptoms you must get a test and MUST self isolate until you get the result of the test........ they must realise that any one of their contacts might report them.

They have behaved outrageously and they would be off my Christmas card list at once - and never be invited to my house again. The only miniscule good move on their part was to tell you; at least you can now behave in the right way and isolate. What a pair of selfish idiots - I so hope that you and those present will all be healthy and well at the end of your isolation.

I don’t think the OP was unreasonable for inviting friends for a meal as they could have met up just as easily in a restaurant, with exactly the same outcome?

I haven’t eaten out since before March because it’s only allowed for the benefit of the hospitality industry, not because it’s safe to do so.

I think the biggest problem is that the rules are nonsensical in many instances. Pubs closing at 10pm for instance, isn’t going to prevent anyone transmitting the virus at 9.45pm.

The friend was seriously out of order to visit when she knew they had symptoms. Maybe she thought Covid doesn’t infect the middle classes?

oopsadaisy I know this isn’t a contest, however, I know of someone who is coming back into this country on Sunday, going into hospital for Chemo on Thursday and then going back to their second home abroad next weekend!

well quite frankly, I blame the Government, I try very hard not to judge etc.. but the borders should be closed.... oh dear! I so hate saying that, let alone thinking it,,but if people can be so very ..... unbelievable.

This pandemic seems to have turned some people into selfish self centred idiots!!
I am struggling to understand why OP thought having a dinner party with several couples was a good idea. Why her husband collecting said friends was a good idea?
We ALL have to be responsible for our actions because clearly other people don't/can't/won't be responsible for theirs......
I really cannot see an end to this if people keep behaving in this laissez-faire manner ?

What a complete betrayal of trust for your friends to do this. This virus is proving to be a steep learning curve for us all in every way.

There will always be people such as these.

I need to take extra care of coughs and colds in others because of a health condition and particularly in the winter season ask friends not to come over if they have an inkling that they could be 'going down' with something.

Yet, year after year there is always someone who thinks that a mere nose sniffle is nothing to worry about. They come over, announce gaily that they have a runny nose but it is 'nothing to worry about, just a sniffle' - then I become ill two days later, sometimes requiring quite aggressive treatment.

There will always be selfish people.

I would not be in contact with these people and they might get the drift that they have been inconsiderate, at the very least.

I’m astonished you think this is a time for dinner parties and sharing cars!

I’m totally disgusted with them on your behalf. This is why the disease is spreading and people are dieing in hospital.
Totally out of order. I would report them.

We haven't had anybody in the home socially since February except the grandchildren for work related childcare.
We work in care so to continue working as responsibly as possible we chose not to mix in the home. Even when it was allowed. My dear SIL who has been a widow for 10 years and came for tea every week stopped coming in February. She works in care too and we have only spoken to her in the garden or by videocall. It's sad but it's hard trying to keep every day life going trying not to spread it.
I have spent years cleaning in peope's homes and caught many airbourn bugs due to unflushed toilets brewing away or the general stuffiness when people are at work all week and don't open there windows.
I think the couple are disgusting for coming and should be investigated because they had symptoms and chose not to self-isolate.
I just can't believe that people are still holding dinner parties in their homes especially when the rates are rising again. That is irresponsible too in my eyes.
Even Jeremy Corbyn is at it - in a group of 8!

Words fail me on this post, I would report them, how dare they put people at risk.

Totally agree with bobbydog24. We are not getting out of this mess due to people like this who have total disregard for the rules or anyone else except themselves. Look at the SNP party MP. How many people could be infected due to her irresponsible behaviour. So long as people behave this way I fear for us ever being rid of Covid.

I think, but am not certain, that anyone going for hospital treatment is tested for Covid in advance. Chemotherapy weakens the immune system so the person receiving it will have to be very, very careful afterwards in case she meets someone as ignorant/ and or selfish as herself who is walking around with the symptoms. Even being an MP’s does not stop a few people from being irresponsible. . How can the message be put across to a population that is probably fed up with hearing the very word Covid and switches off at the very mention of it?

To be fair to Lippyqueen think the rules state, unless in a local lockdown area, you are allowed to have visitors to your household as long as the total number does not exceed 6. Think the behaviour though of your so called friends is just totally beyond belief and just hope they feel very guilty. Hope you stay well.

lippyqueen - they are not friends, forget them!

Totally agree. This cavalier attitude is the reason this virus is rampant. Total disregard for others and to my mind totally selfish.

Nobody is immune. not even Donald Trump.

Isn’t it illegal to go out if you think you’ve got it? I don’t condone snitching but in this case they were so blatant I’d do exactly that. I’d also tell them what utter twots they’d been grrrrt