I went out this morning to make an essential purchase and then returned home for lunch. Tigger had gone off bright and early to the City, leaving me alone for the first time since the beginning of the Christmas break. We kept in touch by text, as we usually do, and I was not expecting anything out of the ordinary to transpire.

You might therefore imagine my nonplussedness at receiving an email from her with the subject line “l’ve tested positive”. Tigger had taken a test at home yesterday that showed her clear of Covid (allowing for the margin of error) but two tests at work today left no room for doubt: Tigger is infected.

If Tigger is infected, then it’s virtually certain that I am too but even if I am not so yet, it can only be a matter of time. We shall have to self-isolate for up to 10 days (though if we produce two clear tests on days 6 and 7 of isolation, this ends forthwith).

The rules on self-isolation are complex and easy to misunderstand (take a look at How long to self-isolate) but it seems that we are going to be at home for up to the next 10 days. During that time, we may develop symptoms, but our three vaccinations should stand us in good stead, especially if the variety we have inadvertently acquired is Omicron which has a reputation for relative mildness.

It’s just as well that we did some shopping yesterday and sorted out the computer the day before that, as everything else will now have to be put on hold. We can at least use the Chop Chop app to have shopping brought to the door from Sainsbury’s. They now bring you up to 25 items at a time.

For now, we have to wait patiently and see how things develop.