Sheffield student isolating with Covid-19 faces more time in quarantine after confusing Test and Trace advice

The first-year University of Sheffield student, who wished to remain anonymous, tested positive for Covid-19 last week and began self-isolating with her flatmates straight away.

But, just a day before her 10-day self-isolation period was due to end, the NHS Test and Trace service told her she must stay indoors for another week – despite the app saying otherwise.

She also repeatedly received calls from the service during her time in isolation and is now confused on what to do next.

Her mum said: “She did everything she could have. She got the test and downloaded the NHS app which said she could go out from October 7. However, all week she has had phone calls from Test and Trace and she had to keep putting in her information all the time for the contact tracing.

"Not just once – she’s had five to six phone calls about it and each time it’s as if it just hasn’t registered.

"On October 6, she got yet another phone call from them saying she’d been identified as being in a place where someone has now tested positive. She was saying ‘I know, I’m isolating at the moment as I’ve tested positive’ and the lady said it didn’t matter she has to isolate again for another week.”

She added: "I think it’s a mix up and it's pretty poor. She’s a student away for the first time, she’s 18-years-old and that she’s got to isolate. Even when she was trying to tell the person on the phone that she’d had a positive test and she was coming to the end of it, they were still saying that she had to isolate again.

"The whole thing is a farce. You’ve got people who’ve done exactly as they should, which is my daughter and her flat, and now there’s a whole lot of confusion.”

NHS Test and Trace said they do not comment on individual cases.

They said that anyone testing positive for COVID-19 in England will be contacted to help them trace their contacts and will be asked to stay at home for 14 days.

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