17 January 2022

As part of a bid to get more people back to work, the Government has decreased the Covid self-isolation time.

From today, the self-isolation period for those who test positive for Covid-19 has been cut from seven to five days in England. Individuals will be able to leave isolation from day six, provided they:

• Have two negative tests on day five and day six
• Do not have a temperature

Tests must be at least 24 hours apart. If either test is positive, people must wait 24 hours before testing again.

The NFDA has published UK health data that shows 31.4% of Covid sufferers remain infectious after five days, compared to 15.8% after seven days – but taking two tests from day six cuts infectiousness to 6.2%.

From 11 January, those who got a positive rapid lateral flow test were not required to take a confirmatory PCR test, although they must self-isolate immediately.

There is also speculation PM Boris Johnson will lift Plan B Covid restrictions, which require people to work from home where they can, from 26 January. Some rules on face masks may remain. An announcement is expected this week.

Tags: Covid