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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
World
Lizzy Buchan & Ryan Paton

Everything you need to know about today's self isolation rule changes

The government has announced that a major overhaul of Coronavirus restrictions will come into force today.

Fully vaccinated Brits and under 18s will no longer need to self-isolate if they come into contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid - as Mirror Online reports.

Up until August 16, the legal requirement has been that anyone "pinged" by the NHS Test and Trace App would need to quarantine for 10 days.

READ MORE: Full list of 21 coronavirus symptoms not on NHS list double-jabbed Brits should look for

The Prime Minister came under heavy criticism for the "pingdemic" when thousands of people were forced to isolate due to being in contact with positive cases.

More than three quarters of adults in the UK are now double-jabbed - and the government is banking on the success of the vaccine rollout to lift the remaining restrictions.

We've rounded up a full list of all the updates to self-isolation rules that have came into effect today:

Fully vaccinated Brits no longer need to self isolate

The major update that has came into effect today is fully vaccinated people in the UK no longer need to self-isolate if they have come into contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus.

To qualify as fully vaccinated, you must have had your second dose at least 14 days before the contact with a positive case.

Only jabs approved by the medical regulator and administered by the NHS are eligible - so Pfizer, AstraZeneca or Moderna.

Under-18s will also be exempt from self-isolation

Anyone under the age of 18 is no longer legally required to self-isolate if they have come into contact with a positive Covid case.

The vaccination status of children and young people will not be a factor in them being exempt.

School bubbles have also been scrapped for pupils in England and children are no longer required to wear face coverings in class. Social distancing has also been ditched for pupils along with staggered start and finish times.

When do I need to self-isolate?

Regardless of your vaccine status or age, you still need to self isolate if you test positive for covid.

If you display any covid symptoms, you must also take a PCR test and quarantine while you wait for the results.

People who come into contact with someone who has tested positive for Coronavirus and it hasn't yet been 14 days since their second vaccination will still need to self-isolate.

What is the advice if you come into contact with someone with Covid?

Fully vaccinated people who have came into close contact with a positive Coronavirus case will still be advised by contact tracers to get a test as soon as possible.

However, the new rules state this is not mandatory and they will not need to self-isolate while waiting for the result.

Government guidance also states that fully vaccinated people should still take precautions if they have been identified as a contact of someone who has tested positive for Coronavirus.

Although you don't have to stay at home, you should limit your contact with other people and wear a mask in public spaces.

How do I declare I'm fully vaccinated?

Updates will be made to the NHS COVID-19 app to align with the new rules.

App users will be able to self declare if they are under 18 or fully vaccinated - and given advice to book a PCR test, although again this is not legally required.

Rules for health and care workers

Fully jabbed NHS and care workers who are contacted by Test and Trace will be able to return to work, as long as they have a negative PCR test.

They still need to take daily lateral flow tests for 10 days due to the nature of their work.

The advice says that staff working with clinically extremely vulnerable patients will need a risk assessment to before they return to work.

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