Horsted Keynes man had to isolate weeks after illness

A Mid Sussex man is baffled after officials told him to isolate, despite him recovering from Covid weeks ago.

Dom Smith, 25, from Horsted Keynes said he caught Covid in August along with his girlfriend.

He isolated at the time and after recovering booked a holiday to Cyprus for last month.

But after reading that he could test positive up to three months after getting better he says he checked with officials about what would happen if he did get a positive result when he took his PCR test after coming home.

The account executive said Home Office and NHS staff gave conflicting advice and – when his test did come back positive – he did have to isolate despite not having Covid.

Dom said: “It’s frustrating. I have just spent ten days inside just for no reason.

“I was lucky enough to be able to work from home.”

Dom’s girlfriend, who had Covid at the same time as him, tested negative on their return meaning she didn’t have to isolate.

But it wasn’t just working in the office and seeing his friends that Dom missed out on.

He said: “I had tickets to go to the England game.

“I was stuck inside playing FIFA instead of watching the England game.”

The Home Office declined to comment.

The Department for Health and Social Care has been approached for comment.

In Mid Sussex 690 Covid cases were recorded in the seven days to October 21, government figures show, rising from 521 cases the previous week. This is a rate of 453.5 per 100,000 people. Since the start of the pandemic 15,030 cases and 281 deaths within 28 days of a positive test have been recorded.