Bristol TV presenter Alex Beresford said he tested positive for coronavirus for 10 days as he reacted to the Government reducing the self-isolation period for fully vaccinated people to seven days.
The 41-year-old from Bristol was in bed for a week after catching Covid-19 and tweeted in response to news that those who receive negative lateral flow results on day six and day seven of their self-isolation period, and are vaccinated, will no longer have to self-isolate for the full 10 days.
He said: "Lucky for some. I tested positive for 10 days, whereas a friend of mine started testing negative after 6."
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The rule change from Wednesday (December 22) may help thousands of people see their families in time for Christmas.
Beresford said Covid meant he spent a week in bed. The Good Morning Britain star described his symptoms as "like a really bad flu" to his twitter followers and said he had been vaccinated against the virus.
He said he may have let his guard down when it came to taking precautions against catching the illness.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid noted ministers “want to reduce the disruption from Covid-19 to people’s everyday lives” in announcing the self-isolation change.
He said: “Following advice from our clinical experts we are reducing the self-isolation period from 10 days to seven if you test negative on a lateral flow test for two days running.
“It’s vital people keep playing their part by testing regularly and isolating if they test positive. And I urge you to get boosted now to protect yourself and those around you.”
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said “continuing uncertainty” about the severity of the Omicron variant and hospital admission rates means he does not believe there is enough evidence at the moment to justify stricter measures.
However, he stressed the situation remains “finely balanced” and did not rule out introducing stricter measures soon after Christmas.
In a video message, the Prime Minister said: “There is no doubt that Omicron continues to surge with a speed unlike anything we’ve seen before.
“The situation remains extremely difficult but I also recognise that people have been waiting to hear whether their Christmas plans are going to be affected.
“So what I can say tonight is that naturally we can’t rule out any further measures after Christmas – and we’re going to keep a constant eye on the data, and we’ll do whatever it takes to protect public health.
“But in view of the continuing uncertainty about several things – the severity of Omicron, uncertainty about the hospitalisation rate or the impact of the vaccine rollout or the boosters, we don’t think today that there is enough evidence to justify any tougher measures before Christmas.”
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