Help...quick... I have covid ?

[COldNag]

I haven't seen any witch hunt here. But self-isolation means staying indoors and you're not doing that, so it's creating risk. I think you need to arrange cover for your horses, whether that is third party or via your liveries.
I hope you recover quickly and can get back to normal soon.

 

[Upthecreek]

This is not a witch hunt against you at all, people are telling you things you don’t want to hear and you don’t like it. You asked for advice. The precautions you suggested are appropriate for day to day life on a yard in these times, but not for when someone has had a positive test. As a yard owner you have a responsibility for keeping your liveries safe. It’s very simple, you either need to ban liveries and do everything yourself during your isolation period or get someone to do your horses. Whilst you may have already infected people before you knew you had it, which isn’t your fault, it would be totally irresponsible not to follow the rules now you’ve had a positive test and should be isolating.

The guidance on the NHS website is actually very clear:

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

I really do hope you remain feeling quite well apart from cold type symptoms. Nobody is blaming you at all - of course it is not your fault you caught the virus, however if you do not follow very strict guidelines you could well pass this on to others who might not just have mild symptoms and they might die.

Despite all the other reasons given why you shouldn't even be doing your own horses I do really strongly suggest you immediately put into action some sort of care or full turnout for your horses in case, God forbid, you do become much worse over the coming days and need to be hospitalised. I do not say that to alarm you, but to impress on you for the sake of your horses wellbeing you need to be proactive in arranging something now - whilst you are still able.

 

[Jeni the dragon]

Please do take care of yourself, most importantly!
My Aunt had a pretty mild case in March but has post virus fatigue and still isn't back to work. She was very fit and healthy before. This isn't something you can take lightly.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I do think some people are missing the point that the yard is OP's home - self-isolating does NOT mean staying inside, the virus is least likely to be passed on outdoors. But I agree that she needs a plan in place so that her liveries do not come into contact with her or anything that she has touched whilst she is infectious. I think every-one should have a contingency plan in place for any kind of emergency.

 

[Keith_Beef]

Dramatic much!!! No one has been abusive.
Only suggested it would be sensible to have a back up plan for horse cover. If it wasn’t Covid it could be a broken back or an appendix removal blah blah blah.

Anyway I hope you get better soon and you and liveries are ok

I've been thinking this since post #1... At that time, it wasn't clear if this was a business, how many horses and owners there were...

Every organisation needs a continuity plan that covers several scenarios. We're supposed to have one where I work, and I bring it up frequently in our team meeting.

So far, we've had the strikes in December 2019 that stopped most of us from getting to the office for a couple of weeks. An ad hoc "working from home" scheme was put in place, mostly by employees being competent enough with IT to make it work.

That turned out to be a dry run for the Confinement in March and April of 2020.

Next week, the technical director is going into hospital for a herniated disc... he hopes to be in and out in 24 hours, but that can't be guaranteed. Nor is it guaranteed that he'll be able to work straight away... No plan is in place, other than employees carrying on as best they can.

I really hope that this thread stays civil and polite. I reiterate ihatework's hope that you get well soon and that you're able to keep the virus to yourself. But the thread should be a warning to all of us that we need to plan for what is likely (mild illness and injury), possible (serious illness and injury) and the rare but catastrophic (flood, fire, plague, civil unrest).

There's a whole bunch of people and companies dedicated to doing that kind of preparation: insurance companies. This might also be a good time for us all to check our policies to find out if there are clauses for getting help with caring for dependents if we're incapacitated.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

I do think some people are missing the point that the yard is OP's home - self-isolating does NOT mean staying inside, the virus is least likely to be passed on outdoors. But I agree that she needs a plan in place so that her liveries do not come into contact with her or anything that she has touched whilst she is infectious. I think every-one should have a contingency plan in place for any kind of emergency.

The complication is that it is also OP’s place of work. If the yard is being run as a business, then it isn’t really isolating to be attending a place of work.

If this isn’t an official business (but I think it is, and I recall OP runs it very professionally from previous threads) then the liveries arriving would be the same idea as ‘having visitors’.

Re outdoors, I think it’s ok to use ‘more and less likely to spread’ in a general environment where people may or may not be COVID positive but where there is a confirmed case, I do think it’s better to err on the side of caution.

 

[Upthecreek]

I do think some people are missing the point that the yard is OP's home - self-isolating does NOT mean staying inside, the virus is least likely to be passed on outdoors. But I agree that she needs a plan in place so that her liveries do not come into contact with her or anything that she has touched whilst she is infectious. I think every-one should have a contingency plan in place for any kind of emergency.

If you have a positive test you should stay within your own home and garden.

 

[TheBigPony]

It maybe the Ops home but she is running a business from it and has a duty of care to her customers and the wider community. The current suggested solution does not protect her liveries or the local community. We are in at the beginning of a second wave, many people will die, we all need to do our bit to stop the spread.

If I get covid I will stay at home and ask someone else to do my horse. I have a plan and everyone needs to have one for the sake of their animals. As others have said it may be mild now but that might change. I wish the OP a speedy recovery.

 

[scats]

Hope you aren’t feeling too poorly OP and that your symptoms remain mild. I fully understand that you are in a difficult position but to flip this on its head, if someone posted on here that their YO has been confirmed as covid but is still working on the yard, then I imagine the advice wouldn’t be too favourable in support of the YO.

Is there anyone at all you can get in to do the yard for you? Covid aside, I think you need a back up plan for covering the yard incase of a future emergency or situation beyond your control.

 

[ROG]

Do you know of anyone who you come into contact with who is classed as medically vulnerable to the virus ?
If yes then they need contacting urgently
Everyone else is probably at the same medical risk as you are so not such a worry

I wonder if a horse can get covid? - has a horse ever been tested?

 

[scats]

Do you know of anyone who you come into contact with who is classed as medically vulnerable to the virus ?
If yes then they need contacting urgently
Everyone else is probably at the same medical risk as you are so not such a worry

I wonder if a horse can get covid? - has a horse ever been tested?

Not sure about horses but I’m sure a cat tested positive somewhere.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

If you have a positive test you should stay within your own home and garden.

I have no idea what OP's setup is like but my yard/garden are one and the same, as is the arrangement where I was at livery for 10 years and on the friend's farm where the horses went for 3 months immediately prior to the move here. Admittedly we have only ever had one livery and we would have just told her to stay away if we were self-isolating but if OP has a number of liveries, she won't be able to do that.
I hope she makes a swift recovery.

 

[Upthecreek]

I have no idea what OP's setup is like but my yard/garden are one and the same, as is the arrangement where I was at livery for 10 years and on the friend's farm where the horses went for 3 months immediately prior to the move here. Admittedly we have only ever had one livery and we would have just told her to stay away if we were self-isolating but if OP has a number of liveries, she won't be able to do that.
I hope she makes a swift recovery.

It complicates matters when YO lives on site, but in this situation she has two options; either treat the yard as an extension of her house/garden and ban liveries or alternatively treat the yard as place of work/public place and allows liveries to keep coming (if she has not been in contact with them), but does not set foot on the yard herself.

I hope OP makes a speedy recovery too. I also hope any liveries she has been in contact with are now self-isolating.

 

[Keith_Beef]

Not sure about horses but I’m sure a cat tested positive somewhere.

Mink, also.

But even if a horse is not a transmission vector the virus could be in droplets from a cough or a sneeze or just breath. Anything can have the virus on it.

 

[SpotsandBays]

Do you know of anyone who you come into contact with who is classed as medically vulnerable to the virus ?
If yes then they need contacting urgently
Everyone else is probably at the same medical risk as you are so not such a worry
I wonder if a horse can get covid? - has a horse ever been tested?

I’m sure I read somewhere of there being an equine coronavirus, but it is not the same as COVID-19 and does not spread human to horse (I think!)

 

[Keith_Beef]

I’m sure I read somewhere of there being an equine coronavirus, but it is not the same as COVID-19 and does not spread human to horse (I think!)

There are loads of coronaviruses.

 

[SpotsandBays]

There are loads of coronaviruses.

Yes but I believe there’s only one that horses can get

 

[Goldenstar]

I am just kind of struggling that at this stage people have not got a plan to care for their animals if they get Covid .
Theres no way OP can know she’s going to be able to in a few days time .
Meanwhile the yard needs a needs a deep clean and everything she has touched needs cleaning .

 

[Goldenstar]

Just adding my brother is self isolating he has not got Covid but was in proximity to someone who had while in hospital .
He is not allowed to leave his flat .

 

[Fellewell]

Sorry to hear you're not well.
I would suggest, don't ride, you don't want to end up in a clinical setting unless absolutely necessary. Move feed to another area while wearing mask and gloves. Do this when yard is closed in the evening. Who knows, you may have been infected by one of your liveries, many people are asymptomatic. If we could all behave as if everyone was a potentially infectious then yards could function better. Keep up your fluids and get well soon.

 

[Goldenstar]

Don‘t ride that is stating the blindingly obvious .
Bad enough being the idiot sportsperson troubling A and E atm but being the idiot sportsperson with Covid in A and E with a broken ankle no don’t do it .

 

[doodle]

This is why it is spreading again. What if you pass to another healthy livery who goes and sees granny in a care home. I understand tour horses need to be cared for but you have to isolate in your house. Say to a couple of liveries they can get free livery for the week for looking after your horses.

What would happen if you broke a leg or some other illness that makes you unable to care for them? Just because you have mild symptoms does not mean that the person you have passed it on to will. And it doesn’t mean in a few days you won’t get sicker and not be able to do the horses.

My very good friends family had it. Spread from daughter working on Covid ward. All had mild symptoms but now daughter (very fit healthy young person) has diabetes and getting hypos numerous times a day after a stay in ICU.

You HAVE to isolate in your house. If my yo was in that situation and carried on coming on yard I would be moving pretty quick. We have all written care plans for our horses so anyone can take over care at a minutes notice.

 

[Goldenstar]

I am with Kamikaze I would be out of there as well.

 

[Lots of Gift Bags]

Sorry OP, this is not a witch hunt and there's no personal abuse, but you absolutely should not be leaving your house and doing the horses, even if it is on your own property. What happens if you get really sick and have to be hospitalised? Who will look after your horses then? That person should be the one that you call right now to look after your horses now and you should stay indoors.

If one of your liveries, or a member of the general public, contracts Covid from you, and they die, not only will you feel pretty awful, they will potentially be able to sue you for your carelessness, and you probably won't be insured so you could lose everything. It's really not worth it. Get cover sorted, and self isolate inside your own house.

 

[bonny]

Sorry OP, this is not a witch hunt and there's no personal abuse, but you absolutely should not be leaving your house and doing the horses, even if it is on your own property. What happens if you get really sick and have to be hospitalised? Who will look after your horses then? That person should be the one that you call right now to look after your horses now and you should stay indoors.

If one of your liveries, or a member of the general public, contracts Covid from you, and they die, not only will you feel pretty awful, they will potentially be able to sue you for your carelessness, and you probably won't be insured so you could lose everything. It's really not worth it. Get cover sorted, and self isolate inside your own house.

That’s insane, are we really supposed to be worrying about being sued now for a virus that you could or couldn’t catch anywhere !

 

[phizz4]

You must self isolate or you could start (or continue) a chain of infections. I would also consider how/where you became infected and the connections that you have had with people in at least the last 7 days as it can take that long for symptoms to show.

 

[doodle]

My fear through all of this is not that I get it but passing it on to someone who gets very sick. However seeing the after affects I am more worried. 2 people on yard have had yo do their horses full, then normally came up at nights to feed etc. They haven’t come as one is a care home manager and one the senior nurse in an elderly ward. Pretty annoying for them not seeing horses for 6 months to keep other people safe. You can cope with doing it for 10 days.

I’m worried the whole country will be shut down again and this will be due to people thinking the stay at home rule does not count with them and it spreads on and on.

 

[tristar]

Please do take care of yourself, most importantly!
My Aunt had a pretty mild case in March but has post virus fatigue and still isn't back to work. She was very fit and healthy before. This isn't something you can take lightly.

someone with a yard to run is hardly likely to take it lightly

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-54205353

Positive tests went from 12 per 100k to 212 because one person didn't isolate and then some of his contacts didn't follow the instructions to stay at home.

ETA I got a bad cough a couple of months back, it looked like mild covid so I got a test. It came back negative. I took the precautions you are for a negative test so I'd agree, take a couple of weeks off, not for you but for everyone else around you and their friends and relatives. It's what they'd want you to do.

I hope it passes quickly and you're back to normal soon.