The amount of time people with Covid-19 in England have to spend in self-isolation is to be cut to five full days, the Health Secretary has said.
Sajid Javid told MPs in the House of Commons that UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data showed “that around two-thirds of positive cases are no longer infectious by the end of day five”.
He said that from Monday, January 17, people will be able to take two tests to get out of isolation, “leaving isolation at the start of day six”.
The Government has been under pressure to bring the situation in England into line with the United States, where the isolation period has been cut to five days.
The previous UK Health Security Agency guidance was for cases to isolate for at least six full days from the point at which they had symptoms or got a positive test, whichever is first, with release from self-isolation after two negative lateral flow test results on days six and seven.
People could then leave self-isolation on day seven.
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