Say nothing

dorothylives

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119309131#Comment_119309131

That's easier said than done. Some people live alone and don't have anyone else to do their shopping for them. All said and done, Covid is a very mild disease that is so mild many people don't even know that they have it. Yes, some people are at risk of being badly affected, maybe even die from it. But the world was brought to a halt for 2 years for them and we're looking down the barrel of a global recession that will probably claim more young/middle age lives through suicide than covid did through disease. There's too much paranoia surrounding it and too much self interest in working from home.

The money is gone, it's been spent looking after tens of thousands of Ukrainians who mostly chose not to be vaccinated. There will be no lock downs any more. People won't be able to afford to isolate at home they'll have to get on with their lives. Going to work when sick was the norm before Covid. It wasn't unusual for some workers to have to go to work sick and stay for an hour or so before their employer would allow them to go home. I wear a mask when I'm in pharmacies and on public transport or in medical areas but that's it, I'm done.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119307588#Comment_119307588

Ever heard of ME?

Many viruses have some kind of post viral syndrome, which affects a proportion of the people who get the virus. Long Covid is just another of those.

Covid isn't the flu. But it's a different virus which is similar to the flu in some ways, especially in that it can be serious for some people.

OP, if you attended a family function, and some people who were there tested positive for influenza or chicken pox a few days later, would you expect to be informed? I wouldn't.

When I looked up current HSE advice this week, it said that close-contacts don't have to test or isolate, unless they have symptoms. Two years ago, the advice was very different, because knowledge about the virus was very different.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119309817#Comment_119309817

I know its easier said then done. I spend two years dependant on click and collect for groceries because I had no one to shop for me.

So saying someone can't manage for a WHOLE WEEK in isolation without visiting the shops is just a lazy excuse. There are plenty of options now for click and collect (minimal contact) or contactless grocery deliveries to most areas, by most supermarkets - so I don't accept that as any kind of an excuse.

Working from home is an option for many now too. Many of my co-workers who contracted covid continued working, they just did so from home. I don't know where you work but going to work sick is not and was never the norm before covid, and was never acceptable. I witnessed our Director instructing people to leave and not attempt to come back into the workplace until they were fit for work - and this was long before covid ever happened. It's called having a duty of care to your employees.

I never mentioned anything about bringing back lockdowns, or masking but you seem to be off on your own rant on those.

Basically I think it comes down to common decency. You either have it, or you don't. If you do, you will at least let others know you are sick so they can avoid you and test themselves before they go near any vulnerable people in their own families.

Don't Chute!

This bullshit about it not being acceptable to go to work sick before Covid is absolute fcuking nonsense. It’s a clear attempt at rewriting history. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311268#Comment_119311268

Bullshit?

I don't know what kind of places you've worked in, but I think you're the one attempting to re-write history. It's never been acceptable to go to work sick.

Just like it's never been and is still not acceptable to send a send a sick child into a creche or into school. Would you send a child to school with an active case of chickenpox? No, you keep them home until they are not infectious.

The same applies to adults in the workplace.

No responsible employer wants sick people at work coughing and spluttering over other employees and potentially making them sick too.

Don't Chute!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311517#Comment_119311517

Are you actually trying to tell me you NEVER went to work even with a slight cold? I don’t believe that for a second.

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058253497/say-nothing

Did you have it when you went, Why would you think that they did?

With this variant some people, quite a few, have it even a week or two before testing positive.

My point being you are taking a massive jump, based on no evidence.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311632#Comment_119311632

I don't give a toss what you believe.

See, here's the thing. I don't get "slight colds". I get full blown nasty ones that flatten me, and due to being immuno-com.promised and having a respiratory condition, more often than not turn into secondary infections. Which could put me out of commission for a lot longer than a day or two.

So please keep your "slight cold" at home. Or tell me about it, so I can work from home and avoid you.

Don't Chute!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311663#Comment_119311663

And I don’t give a toss what you believe either if that’s the way you want it. People like you have had your fun thinking you’re the most important people on earth for the last few years but it’s time to start living in the real world with everyone else. What you are saying is complete and utter nonsense and you have nothing to back it up with.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311674#Comment_119311674

There is no such thing as a "mild flu".

I think you're the one being a bit hysterical now Leg End Reject. No one has suggested that governments or employers will be closing down businesses or public services again. You're the one making that giant leap.

And again, I don't know what kind of **** employers some of you here have, but arriving in work coughing and spluttering was never accepted in my workplace and I did witness people being sent home.

Loss of pay will no longer be an excuse to go into work sick either, once the legislation on statutory sick pay is passed.

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311710#Comment_119311710

Look it up, it's now accepted that there is indeed a mild flu and severe head colds.

I have been in work with severe colds - snots for 2-3 weeks, coughing and spluttering, hoarse and miserable. I was never once told to go home and mind myself. Oh, and I work in the public sector where ringing in sick involves an interrogation dressed up as faux concern and an immediate "Is this certified or self-certified?". That comes with an emphasis on the "self-certified" which translates into "Are you taking the piss?"

If you have a certain number of staff out on any given day the union regulation is to shut down on health and safety grounds. That's not hysteria, that's reality and I'd imagine it's worse in the public sector. So it was never common practice for employees to be sent home with a communicable infection. Creches do because they cater for those with immune systems that aren't fully developed, but outside of that it's bring your tissues and paracetamol to work with you and get on with it.

Leg End Reject

Mild flu:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/flu/expert-answers/flu-symptoms/faq-20057983

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/symptoms.htm

It's not always debilitating contrary to popular belief. Like Covid if you will.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311697#Comment_119311697

Back what up? You're the one who implied I was a liar and was re-writing history. Just because you obviously have worked in **** places with irresponsible employers doesn't mean I'm lying.

Trust me, I'm equally sick and tired of people like you who think its fine to swan around spreading your "slight colds" without thought for anyone else.

And if you think anyone who is immuno-compromised has been having "fun" dealing with all this the last couple of years, then you've lost the plot entirely.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311728#Comment_119311728

If you went into work like that for 2-3 weeks then shame on you. I hope there were no immuno-compromised people forced to working with you.

I've been in the public service since I was 17 years old, nearly 35 years, and never once have I heard of somewhere being closed down due to X number of staff being out sick or any regulation to that affect - but I also don't know where you work, so I won't be as quick to accuse you of lying or "re-writing history" as I've been accused.

I was hopeful that maybe Covid would have taught some people how to do things differently. We'll see, come winter.

I know for sure, if anyone comes into my office sick, they will be told to go home.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311748#Comment_119311748

Did you miss the whole bit about flu complications atnd the affect they can have on immuno-compromised people?

For those at high risk of flu-related complications or who have severe flu, there's a greater chance that the flu might lead to pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections, and, rarely, hospitalization or death. The flu can also worsen chronic health problems such as asthma and congestive heart failure.

You have an increased risk of flu-related complications if you:

• Are younger than 12 months old
• Are 65 years old or older
• Are pregnant or have given birth in the past two weeks
• Are younger than 19 years of age and are receiving long-term aspirin therapy
• Have certain chronic medical conditions, including lung diseases such as asthma, an airway abnormality, heart disease, diabetes, neurological or neurodevelopmental disease, metabolic disorders, and kidney, liver or blood disease
• Have a weakened immune system due to factors such as long-term use of steroids or other immunosuppressants, HIV, organ transplant, blood cancer, or cancer being treated with chemotherapy
• Have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater
• Live in a long-term care facility such as a nursing home
• Are in the hospital

So again... stay at home and keep your "mild flu" to yourself please. It may not be mild for me, if I catch it from you.

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311765#Comment_119311765

Shame on me? I didn't have a choice, not everyone can stay at home with a headcold and I usually get 2-3 a year. Do you think it's viable for me to take anywhere from 3-6 weeks off a year?

If you work in the public sector you'll be aware that Medmark decided that pregnant women, those receiving cancer treatments that affected immunity, and many others that are immunocompromised were told to work during Covid. Do you seriously think that everyone is sent home with a headcold?

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311772#Comment_119311772

Any infection can have serious consequences for the immunocompromised, no one has denied that.

You, however, denied there was such a thing as mild flu. I provided links to back up my post after you sneered at it.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311775#Comment_119311775

You're public sector, you had a choice. No one was going to sack you for being ill.

Though word of advice? If you get that many severe colds a year, maybe you should look into doing something to boost your immune system.

And please don't twist my words. I never said that "everyone is sent home with a headcold". I said I had witnessed people being sent home when they were sick, even before covid happened, and that coming in sick was unacceptable.

Yes, I am aware of some of Medmark's decisions - and if anything its all the more reason why now it's even less acceptable to arrive in work sick, than it ever was. It's exactly what the HSE ad I linked to earlier was targetting - You Never Know.

Obviously it bears repeating, though if the message hasn't gotten through yet, I doubt it ever will.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLUwaA4YCkU

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311781#Comment_119311781

A headcold isn't serious, it's the only illness I get so I think my immune system is just fine. I don't get stomach bugs, tonsillitis, lower respiratory infections etc., so I can live quite happily and healthily with a seasonal runny nose and sore throat.

Again, do you think I'd get away with 3-6 weeks annual sick leave for a cold? Do you not think I'd eventually be referred to Medmark and then swiftly told by them to cop on? You're aware of the requirement for medical certificates after so many days absence as well as the rolling periods for both certified and self-certified leave. Should I forego a few mortgage payments because I need to blow my nose?

You said I shouldn't be in work with a headcold and that I'd be sent home from your workplace, I haven't put words in your mouth.

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311765#Comment_119311765

If you went into work like that for 2-3 weeks then shame on you. I hope there were no immuno-compromised people forced to working with you.

Here you said I should be at home with a cold.

I know for sure, if anyone comes into my office sick, they will be told to go home.

Here you said anyone sick would be sent home in your workplace.

You're public sector, you had a choice. No one was going to sack you for being ill.

And here I should stay at home because I can't be fired. So I should sit at home with my tissues while others in the private sector have to carry on because they can be fired? You have an over-inflated sense of entitlement.

Perhaps you can now show where I've apparently "put words in your mouth"?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311790#Comment_119311790

You still don't get it do you?

Your "seasonal runny nose and sore throat " which you earlier described as severe, with "snots for 2-3 weeks, coughing and spluttering, hoarse and miseurable" might not be all that serious for YOU.

But it could be very serious for someone else who picks its up from you. For example, one of those very people you mentioned who Medmark have told they must attend work despite their increased risk of serious complications.

So no, in my opinion, you shouldn't be in work in that condition, and should stay at home until you are well.

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311800#Comment_119311800

Your opinion is just that. Employees are expected to turn up with headcolds, mild or severe. Even Medmark would tell me to work.

I can't take weeks off work because of your opinion. The government doesn't give a flying fūck about individuals and their opinions. We're just a number, and all of us are replaceable.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311806#Comment_119311806

So is working from home not an option for you?

Two staff members in my office called in last week, both with positive covid tests. They continued to work from home. If they had turned up in the office, yes, they would have been sent home, without hesitation.

Where I work, no one is expected to turn up to work sick, and if anyone turned up in my office with a "seasonal cold" like you described having, they'd also be told to go home until they were better. That really is all there is to it.

DLink

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311809#Comment_119311809

You work in the public sector, you might as well be living in Utopia compared to the rest of us living in the private sector, especially when you have a work shy union backing you up.

• Cold = go home, work if you feel up to it, but don't worry, we'll still give you full pay
• Stubbed toe = go home, work if you feel up to it, but don't worry, we'll still give you full pay
• covid = definitely go home, work if you feel up to it, but don't worry, we'll still give you full pay

Are you forgetting the scandal of the meat factory workers who drove some of the biggest covid clusters at the start of the pandemic because if they didn't go to work they didn't get paid? Or how about the tight arsed Irish employers who didn't have any kind of sick pay scheme, which forced you to go in to work as you lost money if you didn't?

As for the new sick pay rules, you get 3 paid days a year in 2022 & 2023, increasing to 5 days in 2024, 7 days in 2025 and 10 days in 2026, BUT.... you need to hand a doctor €50 or €60 to get certified.

I'm sorry, but if you stick your head out of your ivory tower for a few minutes and have a look at the real world you'll see that low paid employees are still being incentivised to go into work sick as they cannot afford to pay the doctor to get certified for a cold. I work with people who need to pay their TV licence by instalments FFS, they're certainly not going to pay €50 to get certified for the sniffles.

dorothylives

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311099#Comment_119311099

How lovely for you. I'll say it again, many people aren't or weren't in a position to do that. There are far too many paranoid nervous Nellie's and in part I do blame the government for the insane hysteria. But people have moved on now, we won't be altering our lives any more to placate Covid hysteria. If people feel vulnerable they can stay at home the rest of us will get on with living our lives instead of hiding away paranoid about catching a mostly harmless virus.

I think in some perverse way many people who would be considered vulnerable really felt special when society had to bend over backwards to 'protect them', well those days have long gone now, thankfully. I hate to break it to people but those masks clearly don't work, if they did there wouldn't be huge infection rates in hospitals and half of the country wouldn't have had it. But again, it's just another thing to pander to the hysterical paranoia. It's over now, people are done with the nonsense.

Oh, it must be lovely to work from home, all that money you saved while all of those people on low incomes like those working in factories producing the food you eat and delivering it to shops and supermarkets and those people working in the shops that you clicked and collected from, who had to be at work to unload deliveries, stock shelves and pack the click and collect items you bought online, had to go to work to enable people like yourself to click and collect. So think before you pontificate to people on how selfish they are for not protecting you. It's not magic fairies who did that work. Not everyone was able to sit it out on the sofa on full pay.

xhomelezz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119312078#Comment_119312078

Hysteria, paranoid, mostly harmless virus, masks don't work and hysterical paranoia....Jesus another fooking stupid post..

And just to let you know, I worked all the way through pandemic and not from sofa, still can't get over the level of stupidity people can keep posting over and over again.

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119312334#Comment_119312334

It is mostly harmless.

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311809#Comment_119311809

My posts clearly referred to pre Covid times and I expect that to return. No one switched to working from home because they had a cold before Covid.

Instead of grasping at straws could you please answers the questions I have asked you in numerous posts?

xhomelezz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119312421#Comment_119312421

I'm failing to find any info on that claim and I tried. "Mostly harmless" is probably used same way as "hysteria" by some posters. And I call it bullshit.

In my humble opinion.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119312596#Comment_119312596

Answer your questions so you can continue to imply I'm lying and rewriting history no matter what I reply?

In case it escaped you, I too made it very clear I was referring to pre-Covid times, as we have not been in the office for most of the last two years.

I also made this very clear that this was not just about Covid related illness but that obviously went over yours and most of the other angry heads replying too.

I don't know why you're having such difficulty accepting that turning up for work ill was not considered acceptable pre-Covid and it is even less acceptable now.

But I'm not going to waste my time to continue being told I'm a liar for stating what happened/s in my own workplace, by some pack of angry boards users trying to tell me otherwise.

I've better things to do today.