WWYD--Spouses and coronavirus question re mild illness and quarantine

[Harriet Vane]

How much would you quarantine?

Let's say there are only two people living in the house, both roughly fifty years old. If one has all the symptoms of coronavirus but it's mild and the person feels pretty okay, does the affected spouse actually have to stay in strict quarantine? Like staying in the master bedroom with own bathroom?

Or does one assume that the other spouse has been exposed anyway and keep moving about the house, taking care of chores and such?

(Obviously both spouses do not go out in public unless for testing.)

[Ellie]

8 minutes ago, parent said:

We would separate ourselves as much as possible.  No guarantee how another person would respond to the illness.

Same.

[vonfirmath]

As long as the entire family is quarantining away from outsiders, I don't think it matters. Each family is going to treat quarantine a little different.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Depends on the risk for the spouse. 

[Farrar]

With what they're saying about how it likely is airborne... if the spouse is high risk, I might look for any way to separate as much as possible. It's hard to know for sure. For us, we're a little younger and no real underlying issues that put us at risk so if one person gets it, we'll probably limit, but with the understand that we'll all get it. We have a smallish house.

[MEmama]

We don’t have a master bedroom/ bath situation, so nothing like that would work for us. I think I said in a different thread that if one of us goes down, we all will.

Because of the lengthy time between infection and showing symptoms, I would assume it would be too late to truly self isolate from each other at home  anyway. But for sure both spouses should isolate from the outside world.

[Wheres Toto]

I think it would be hard to isolate one spouse from another after symptoms are showing up.    I know for us, it would be pretty much impossible.  We have a very small house, only one bathroom.

[wendyroo]

2 hours ago, MEmama said:

Because of the lengthy time between infection and showing symptoms, I would assume it would be too late to truly self isolate from each other at home  anyway. But for sure both spouses should isolate from the outside world.

This is the approach we are taking.

DH got home from a business trip this afternoon.  He was in Albuquerque, flew through Chicago and then landed at our local airport.  As soon as he walked in the door he took a shower and then put all his clothes, including his coat, in the washer.

For the time being I am assuming that he has it and that the rest of us will quickly catch it regardless of precautions; none of us are high-risk, so I'm not really concerned about this.  I am committed, however, to not carrying it out into the general population.  All the kids' extracurriculars have already been canceled for the foreseeable future, DH can work from home, and we have ample food, supplies and medications to last us for a couple weeks.  We might all end up killing each other, or maybe just one particular family member 🤣, but at least we won't be spreading the illness to more vulnerable individuals.

Wendy

[MeghanL]

I am assuming that if anyone in our immediate household gets it, we've all been exposed and therefore treating like they have a regular flu (but also quarantining the whole household). I'm a little more fatalistic though in general, so feel that the infirm should have free reign of the house with extra precautions around where they are laying, eating, touching things. 

[rocassie]

Typically if DH or I are feeling unwell, each of us kind of holes up somewhere anyway.  Neither he or I really like to be around others when feeling unwell.  As mom, that isn't possible for me, but DH gets it almost everytime he is sick.  Usually he and I have not shared illness, but we generally get things from the kids.

 

[katilac]

We wouldn't quarantine to the extent of the sick person staying in just one room, no. The sick person would get out of cooking, lol. 

[J-rap]

We're mostly just two people here.  Normally if one of us were sick, we'd still remain together (sleeping in the same bed, etc.) but not being too close and trying not to breathe on each other - ha.   But for coronavirus, if we really suspected the other had it, the sick one would remain at one end of the house, in his own room/bathroom, out of the kitchen, etc.  In other words, the sick one would quarantine himself within our house.  But if we really suspected the other had it, they'd be tested.

Otherwise, I don't worry about it even though I know you can be a symptomless carrier.  

(However, if one of us had a job in a high risk situation, we'd definitely be cautious.)

[Tap]

We don't do anything different. Sure, the sick person doesn't do as much as usual, but no one is banished. 

[SounderChick]

We would try and isolate even though it's unlikely because one is essential personal.

[Ausmumof3]

As long as the unaffected spouse is not going out it’s really a personal decision on risk factors.  Keeping in mind that if the unaffected spouse gets sick at the end of the time the couple will need to be able to stay home till recovery.

[gardenmom5]

for me - they'd be in quarantine.

[BusyMom5]

With this virus,  I think the other family members would already be infected by the time the first spouse has symptoms,  so I wouldn't worry too much about it.  Our family is relatively healthy, so hoping to get it and recover without incident.