Covid contacts face being left stuck in isolation after deliveries of lateral flow tests snarled up.
From today, double-jabbed contacts of Omicron cases in England no longer have to isolate for 10 days by law.
Instead, any contact of any Covid case should take one lateral flow test each morning for a week - and live life as normal on-the-day if it's negative.
Yet thousands of people have struggled to get hold of lateral flow tests due to a surge in demand.
It's understood that government officials expect "pinged" contacts who don't have any lateral flow tests should stay at home until they get some.
That means thousands could be stuck from today while they wait for postal orders to arrive - or for friends to visit a pharmacy and make a delivery to their doorstep.
However, there is no legal order for these contacts to stay at home - meaning they won't break any laws if they go out without a test.
Under plans to be voted on by MPs today, only unvaccinated Covid contacts will legally have to isolate for 10 days.
Vaccinated people who come into contact with Covid cases will not have legal restrictions - only guidance.
No10 insisted 1.6m lateral flow tests were posted out yesterday in 230,000 boxes. 2.6million lateral flow tests were posted out to homes on Saturday and Sunday, up from 584,000 on November 13.
The requirement to be double-jabbed to be "fully vaccinated" is due to be updated to triple-jabbed early in the new year.
No10 said it would change “when eligible adults have the opportunity to get their booster, which we aim to be by the end of the month.
"We will set out exactly the that change will be made in more detail but that is the expectation”.
