Boris Johnson has been busy unveiling yet another flurry of confusing Covid rules.
Until August 16, people in England who come into contact with a Covid sufferer are told to self-isolate for up to 10 days.
That has sent an estimated 1.7million people into isolation, a figure that will only get worse as more than 100,000 people are expected to catch Covid per day.
Despite fears of the nation entering gridlock, Downing Street today insisted August 16 is “the right time” to drop the current isolation rules.
As a compromise, the Prime Minister last night said certain “critical workers” will be exempt - from NHS staff to railway signallers and air traffic controllers.
But it’s now emerged firms will have to apply to the government for permission one by one and only a few thousand workers are expected to be included.
So what are the rules until August 16, who might benefit from an exemption, and what are the rules after that?
Here’s what you need to know.
What are the self-isolation rules now?
Anyone who develops symptoms of Covid should self-isolate for 10 days from the moment those symptoms appear, and get a PCR test.
If the PCR test comes back positive, you will likely receive a legal order from Test and Trace to isolate. If it comes back negative, you can free yourself from isolation.
Almost everyone who has come into contact with a confirmed case - that is, confirmed by PCR - must isolate. The period varies but is up to 10 days.
The exemptions are those set out below, or if you’re on a daily contact testing pilot.
If you’re told to isolate by the NHS Covid-19 app (‘pinged’), it is not a legal requirement but it is strongly urged by government to keep people safe.
If you’re told to isolate by NHS Test and Trace - in other words by test or phone call - it is a legal order and you can be fined £1,000 for breaching it.
Wait, so I don’t have to isolate if it’s ‘just’ the app?
Technically no, it is not a legal requirement to self-isolate when pinged by the app - but it is strongly recommended and will prevent other people from dying.
Despite this, Tory ministers have sown confusion over exactly how necessary it is.
Business Minister Lord Grimstone stressed in a letter to one large employer that the app was only an "advisory tool" and that people were not under any "legal duty".
Business Minister Paul Scully suggested it was for workers and bosses to choose whether employees quarantined.
But they were slapped down by No10, which said it was "crucial" to self-isolate when told – and business should be supporting employees to do so.
Who is exempt?
Some workers in critical industries and the NHS will be told they can avoid isolation if they’ve been in contact with a Covid case.
This could mean named individuals in a critical firm or large groups of workers.
But there is no central list of critical industries and firms must apply individually.
We do know the list includes air traffic controllers and railway signallers.
Downing Street refused to rule out some supermarket workers being included if they are essential to the food or medicine supply chain.
Boris Johnson added earlier this week: “We will protect crucial services including the staffing of our hospitals and our care homes, the supplies of food, water, electricity and medicines, the running of our trains, the protection of our borders and the defence of our realm, by making sure that a very small number of named, fully vaccinated, critical workers are able to leave their isolation solely for the work I have described.”
What do exempt people still have to do?
Exempt people will only be allowed onto the scheme in "exceptional circumstances" - and even then can only go to work, not anywhere else.
They will only be allowed into work if "there would otherwise be a major detrimental impact on essential services".
They must take an initial PCR test then daily lateral flow tests and if they test positive, will have to isolate.
How do firms get an exemption?
Businesses will have to apply to government to class staff as “critical workers” so they can avoid self-isolation and keep the country running.
Civil servants, overseen by ministers, will decide "on case by case basis whether exemptions are necessary” across each individual Whitehall department.
No10 said firms could simply look up departmental email addresses online.
However, No10 stressed most industries involved are already in regular contact.
When do the exemptions start?
No10 was unable to say when the new rule would go into full swing.
That will raise fears it may be pointless because double-jabbed people can avoid self-isolation from August 16 anyway (more below).
However, No10 said bidding has already begun for exemptions and some have already begun.
What will change on August 16?
From August 16 in England, all children under 18 and all double-jabbed adults will be exempt from Covid isolation if they come into contact with a positive case.
Double-jabbed adults are defined as people who had their second dose at least 14 days earlier.
Controversially the law only exempts people who had both doses in the UK - so expats who return to the UK or people vaccinated overseas are not exempt.
Exemptions to isolation are there, however, for people who can “provide evidence” that they cannot have a vaccine for medical reasons; and those on a clinical trial.
Single-jabbed people will have to keep isolating after contact with a Covid case, either if they’re told by Test and Trace (the law) or the NHS Covid-19 app (recommended). But in a new law, they will be allowed to leave self-isolation to post an antibody test.
Most importantly, anyone with Covid symptoms or a positive test will still need to isolate - this requirement is not changing.
