For months now, we’ve all been scared of hearing that fateful ping from the NHS Covid app or being told by Test and Trace that we have to self-isolate.
It’s led to firms struggling to find staff, particularly in the hospitality sector, and shelves in supermarkets going empty due to there being fewer delivery drivers and other staff to restock them.
From Monday, August 16, however, things will change in England – allowing many to breathe a sigh of relief as the UK moves ever closer to a semblance of normality.
Here’s a rundown of the new rules.
From Monday, double-jabbed individuals and under 18s in England will no longer need to self-isolate if they are identified as a close contact of someone with Covid-19.
The NHS Covid app will update in line with the new guidance on self-isolation for close contacts.
If you are identified as a close contact you are advised to take a PCR test, though this is not a legal requirement.
Anyone who tests positive following the PCR test will be legally required to self-isolate, irrespective of their vaccination status.
People who are double-jabbed become exempt from isolation 14 days after they have had their second dose of the vaccine.
That means that if you were to have your jab on Monday, you would still need to self-isolate should you be identified as a close contact of someone with Covid-19 during the next two weeks.
Rules regarding travel haven’t changed. For example, you will still need to spend time in a government-approved quarantine hotel if you have just come from a country on the government’s red list.
The relaxed rules have already come into effect in Scotland and Wales.
Ministers in Northern Ireland have been discussing changing its own rules on self-isolation to bring it in line with the rest of the UK.
MORE : Anyone double-jabbed won’t have to isolate if they’re pinged from Monday
MORE : More than 75% of adults in the UK are now double-jabbed
Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Share your views in the comments below
0 Commentaires