Self-isolation rules relax as more people fully vaccinate

Self-isolation rules relax as more people fully vaccinate

In a bid to decrease the amount of people getting pinged by the NHS contact tracing app, the Government has declared that those under 18-years old or double vaccinated now do not have to self-isolate if they have been in contact with somebody who has Covid-19.

The rules still advise anyone with symptoms to self-isolate whilst they wait for the results of their polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, but negative results will ensure that more people can continue to live their lives and go to work without experiencing as many disruptions.

If tested positive, you will still have to self-isolate for 10 days, even if you have been vaccinated.

People who have had close contact with an infected member of the public within two days are being strongly encouraged to take a PCR test to ensure the virus does not spread further.

Those who are halfway through their self-isolation can stop today, despite not completing their full 10 days, as long as they are under 18 or fully vaccinated.

Rapid lateral flow testing also remains available for free and is especially useful for anybody that is not fully vaccinated, in education or in higher-risk settings.

Contact tracing will remain intact to establish where local breakouts may be and to ensure that those who need to self-isolate do.

The NHS Test and Trace app will be able to advise you on whether or not you need to isolate in certain situations depending on your age and vaccination status.

The threat of an increase in hospitalisations and deaths is still significant, so it is important to continue to follow the rules in order to prevent spreading the virus further, even if you are fully vaccinated yourself.

However, it has been proven that the vaccine does successfully reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to others, which is why these self-isolation rules are relaxing now.