New self-isolation rules are to come into force from Monday for anyone who has had two doses of a vaccine.
The rules have already changed in Wales and Scotland and will now change for England.
At the minute anyone who has significant contact with someone who tests positive for Covid-19 has to stay at home for 10 days.
But that rule will be scrapped for anyone who has had two doses of the vaccine, or anyone under 18, from next week in England.
People will still be contacted by NHS Test and Trace - but instead of being ordered to stay home they will be advised to get a PCR test. The rules for those who have had two doses will only apply if it has been 14 days since the second jab.
Anyone who has not had two doses will still have to self-isolate.
The Government has advised fully vaccinated people who are contacted by the app to “consider other precautions such as wearing a face covering in enclosed spaces, and limit contact with other people”.
Three quarters of adults in the UK have now received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Asking the close contacts of people with COVID-19 to self-isolate has played a critical role in helping us get this virus under control, and millions of people across the UK have made enormous sacrifices by doing this.
"Every single one of these sacrifices has helped us protect the NHS and save lives.
“Getting two doses of a vaccine has tipped the odds in our favour and allowed us to safely reclaim our lost freedoms, and from Monday we can take another huge step back towards our normal lives by removing self-isolation requirements for double jabbed people who are contacts of people with COVID-19."
A total of 86,780,455 doses have been administered in the UK, with 47,091,889 people receiving a first dose (89%) and 39,688,566 people receiving both doses (75%).
The Health Secretary has confirmed preparations are under way to offer Covid booster jabs in the UK from next month, but a leading vaccine expert has suggested they are not needed.
Sajid Javid said the Government is awaiting advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) but indicated that the plan is likely to be for over-50s to be offered a booster Covid-19 vaccine at the same time as a flu jab.
He said those who got their jabs when the vaccine rollout began in December last year will be prioritised.
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