New self-isolation rules will come into force next month, it has been announced.
From August 16, people who are fully vaccinated will not have to self-isolate if they are a close contact of someone who has tested positive for coronavirus.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid made the announcement to MPs in the House of Commons on Tuesday afternoon following the Prime Minister's huge lockdown announcement on Monday.
Mr Javid told MPs that they will soon be able to take a "risk-based approach" which "recognises the huge benefits that the vaccines provide both to people who get the jab and their loved ones."
READ MORE: The lockdown rules changing on July 19 from face masks to social distancing
He added: "So from 16 August when even more people will have the protection of both doses, and when modelling suggests the risks from the virus will be even lower, anyone who’s a close contact of a positive case will no longer have to self-isolate if they have been fully vaccinated.
"If someone gets their second dose just before or just after 16 August, they’ll need to wait two weeks, after which their second jab can take effect and give them these new freedoms."
Mr Javid said they will, however, be advising close contacts who are fully vaccinated to take a PCR test "as soon as possible" so they "can get certainty about their condition."
"And of course anyone that tests positive will have to self-isolate whether they have had the jab or not," he added.
He says the new approach means "we can manage the virus in a way that’s proportionate to the pandemic while maintaining the freedoms that are so important to us all."
The new rules also apply to those under the age of 18.
"Instead they’ll be given advice about whether they should get tested, dependent on their age and will need to self-isolate only if they test positive," Mr Javid said.
"These measures will also come into force on August 16 ahead of the autumn school term."
It comes after Boris Johnson set out what the country will look like beyond July 19 if the plans to lift restrictions go ahead.
While the final decision will be made on Monday, July 12, from later this month, people in England can choose if and when to wear a face covering, will no longer have to social distance and can gather with as many or as few people as they wish with social contact limits scrapped.
All remaining businesses will be able to reopen, including nightclubs, and a ll restrictions on pubs will also be lifted.
