Covid self-isolation period cut from 10 to 7 days in UK

London, December 22

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The self-isolation period for people, who test positive for Covid in England, would be cut from 10 days to seven for those who produce two negative lateral flow test (LFT) results on Day six and seven since the start of their quarantine, UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced on Wednesday.

Javid said the change has been made in consultation with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and is aimed at reducing disruption to frontline services and other businesses. Under the previous rules, people had to self-isolate for 10 full days if they tested positive for Covid.

“We want to reduce the disruption to people’s everyday lives caused by the pandemic,” he said.

“Of course, anyone who leaves after Day seven under this new procedure should continue to remain cautious, but we are also very clear that the very best way to protect ourselves, our loved ones and our community is to make sure you get boosted if you’re eligible,” Javid added.

The change follows warnings that the National Health Service (NHS), social care and other frontline services are looking at severe shortages amid the ongoing surge of the Omicron variant – which took the UK’s Covid daily infections above 90,000 in recent days. — PTI

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The UK on Wednesday crossed another Covid record as its daily infections crossed the 1,00,000 mark for the first time since the pandemic began, overtaking the previous daily high of 93,045 last week, driven by the Omicron variant. PTI