From Monday, the guidance for self-isolation is changing. Previously if you were told by officials (or the NHS app) you had been in close contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19, you were expected to self-isolate for 14 days. Starting next week, this will be reduced to 10 days, and will also apply to those returning from ‘high risk’ travel areas that are not on the UK’s ‘green list’.
The update was issued as a joint statement from the UK chief medical officers, who said: ‘after reviewing the evidence, we are now confident that we can reduce the number of days that contacts self-isolate from 14 days to 10.’
This brings the quarantine period for close contacts in line with those who test positive for Covid-19. It has jarred for some time that people who actually have the virus are told to isolate for four days less than the people they were in close contact with, even if the latter don’t have symptoms.
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