Worked in domiciliary care with the elderly this summer. I had gone to 2 clients that morning and then around lunch time I started experiencing so I took a test and it was positive. I immediately called the office and told them and they just asked if I felt well and I said yeah at the minute, I have a cough but it's only mild and she told me to go to my next call. I was dumbfounded. I said but I work with elderly people in close contact, I can't see how I can morally do that and the woman I was about to go and visit had breathing problems but I was told that as long as I feel well, I can work. I said yeah I feel ok right now but I have symptoms, which is why I took the test. She told me to wear full PPE and go to work because the government guidelines (UK, June 2022) said you can go to work if you feel well enough and when I kept insisting, she asked if I was refusing to work. I had no idea what to answer. I was like well… no but I can't morally do what you're asking? The issue wasn't resolved and I came off the phone crying. I told my mum that I didn't know what to do. I can't remember exactly but I think I was told they would try and find someone to cover my next call but they never got back to me so I went to the next call and thankfully my supervisor was there. I told her what happened and she told me to go home.
By the evening, I had actually gotten too ill to work so I just called in sick for the following days which meant I had a legitimate reason not to work as simply having symptomatic COVID is not enough, even when working with vulnerable, elderly people and apparently the constantly changing government guidelines are absolute, even in spite of your own morality.