People who are fully vaccinated in England will no longer be told to self-isolate if they come into contact with someone who has Covid-19, the Health Secretary has announced.
New to the post, Sajid Javid has stated that from August 16, anyone considered a close contact of a positive case will no longer be required to isolate for 10 days, with the same rule applying for anyone under 18.
Announcing the latest updates to the rules, he said: “[The country] will soon be able to take a risk-based approach that recognises the huge benefits that the vaccine provides”.
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He added: “This new approach means we can manage the virus in a way that is proportionate to the pandemic while maintaining the freedoms that are so important to us all.”
More than 33.7 million people in the UK have now received both doses of a Covid vaccine with 11.6 million being given the first Covid jab.
This comes after the Prime Minister announced easing of most restrictions on July 19, including no longer making face masks or social distancing mandatory.
Boris Johnson told a Downing Street press conference: “If we can’t reopen our society in the next few weeks, when we will be helped by the arrival of summer and by the school holidays, then we must ask ourselves when will we be able to return to normal?"
The approach to easing in Scotland is likely to look differently as many parts of the country are still in level two, with the First Minister hoping to put all health boards in level 0 on July 19.
But even the lowest level issues an amount of restrictions.
At her Covid briefings, Sturgeon has emphasised the importance of getting both vaccines, calling it a "weapon" against the virus.
Speaking on Good Morning Scotland, Kate Forbes suggested that there will be differences between England and Scotland's road map out of lockdown as England's "Freedom day" looms closer.
Ms Forbes said: “We all want to get back to some form of normality and the First Minister has set out in Scotland, our own timetable. There are some similarities but there are two fundamental differences with Boris Johnson's announcement yesterday.
“The first is on the timetable itself, we have said that all of Scotland could move to level zero on July 19, so that includes the easing of physical distancing indoors and outdoors, and then we'll move beyond level zero from August 9.”
She also added that the need for face masks and remote working will continue past August: “Expect some baseline measures – for example face masks and limitations to working from home – to continue for a longer period of time.”
To tackle the increasing cases, drop in vaccine centres have been placed in every health board and mobile vaccine centres have opened up in areas of Lothian.
