What are the new England and Northern Ireland rules on self-isolation? | Corona Virus

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England and Northern Ireland, from Monday, followed Scotland and Wales in relaxation rules so that fully vaccinated people do not have to self-isolate if they come into close contact with people who have tested positive for Covid-19.

What would people do in these circumstances instead?

It is advisable to get a PCR test – the most reliable way to determine if they have Covid-19. It wouldn’t be mandatory and they wouldn’t have to self-isolate while they wait for the result.

However, it is advisable to observe other precautions such as wearing a face covering in enclosed spaces and limiting contact with other people, especially with anyone who is clinically high risk.

The new guidance will apply to people who received their final dose of the approved vaccine at least 14 days before coming into contact with a positive case.

Anyone under the age of 18 years and six months or anyone who has not been vaccinated for medical reasons is also not required to self-isolate if they have been in contact with a positive case.

What happens if someone tests positive?

In this case, they are still legally required to self-isolate. Authorities say people who show symptoms should self-isolate and undergo a PCR test, and remain in isolation until the result comes back.

How does the new policy on self-isolation apply to people in the same household?

Those who have been fully vaccinated – as well as those under 18 years and six months old – will not be required to self-isolate even if they live with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.

For a vaccinated person, it must have been at least 14 days since they received the recommended doses of the approved vaccine.

It is also advisable to get a PCR test as soon as possible and to consider additional measures including limiting close contact with other people outside their home, especially indoors.

In addition, it is advised to wear a face covering indoors and, where possible, maintain social distancing by limiting contact with anyone who is clinically high risk.

Are there concerns about change?

Yes really. An expert on a government advisory committee expressed concern that some people would not go for a PCR test if they feared they might miss work.

“The problem is if you set it up now for people to get tested, and so you have to self-isolate if you test positive, people won’t get that test if they can’t afford it,” said Professor Stephen Reicher, of the University of St Andrews and a member of the Epidemiological Insights Scientific Group on Behaviors. (SPI-B).

“So we need to give people more support so they can self-isolate,” added Reicher, who told Sky News that testing should have been mandatory.

The change in guidance also comes at a time when daily case numbers are hovering above 25,000. Scientists warn that the move will increase infection levels, given that the delta variant has the potential to infect the entire vaccine.

It is very likely that this change will lead to increased levels of infection and that this will lead to more hospitalizations and deaths. “It will add to the current sense of complacency and the vision that we are past the pandemic,” said Lawrence Young, a virologist and professor of molecular oncology at the University of Warwick.

“Although it is accepted that disruption from an ‘epidemic’ is not sustainable, it is important to recognize that the virus is still spreading through the population and that the more contagious delta variant has changed the equation.”

What is the impact of the expected change on the epidemic?

Lifting measures, such as legally requiring people to self-isolate if they come into contact with a positive case, will “slightly reduce” the effectiveness of contact tracing, according to Professor Neil Ferguson, a disease modeler and epidemiologist at Imperial College London.

But he added that it largely depends on how well people follow advice to get tested and then isolate if they test positive, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“If people are not tested, we will see transmission, a little bit, because of this measure,” he added.

Asked if he agreed with Reicher’s view that such testing should be mandatory, he said residents, in general, have been very cautious after emerging from the recent lockdown.

It was a political judgment about whether testing should be mandatory, but he said it has been noted that contact rates are lower now than they were at this time last summer.

What is the situation in Wales and Scotland?

The change took effect in Wales on 7 August, when contact tracers and advisors began providing people with advice and guidance on how to protect themselves and keep themselves safe, rather than directing them to be fully vaccinated with isolation.

Every person identified as a contact of a positive case in Wales will continue to be advised to have a PCR test on Day 2 and Day 8, whether or not fully vaccinated.

In Scotland, there is also a case that twice vaccinated adults and all children can avoid self-isolation as close contact as long as they are asymptomatic and have a negative PCR test result.

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