You should check when you self-isolate and what to do on the NHS website. Current NHS guidelines do not distinguish between the app and Test and Trace and state that in both scenarios, people must immediately self-isolate. Unfortunately, with more than 600,000 people receiving self-isolation alerts between July 8 and 15, this is an extremely disruptive and potentially costly issue for businesses. While extremely inconvenient, the alternative is to allow potentially infectious employees to stay at work, which any reasonable employer would avoid, especially because you could face multiple absences anyway if employees get sick. Official figures showed that between July 8 and 14, more than 600,000 people were asked by the app to self-isolate because they were in contact with someone who tested positive. This number is an increase from the 521,033 people who were asked to self-isolate the previous week. You can`t leave home to go to work if the law says you have to self-isolate – for example, if you test positive for coronavirus. From December 31, people who test positive can come out of self-isolation after two negative LFTs on days 6 and 7. Even if you do not need to self-isolate, it is highly recommended that you contact your pharmacy to let them know that you are self-isolating and that your medications need to be delivered and that they will make arrangements free of charge. At the moment, users have noticed that deleting and redownloading the app clears all self-isolation countdowns. NHS Test and Trace and the NHS COVID-19 app will check if you need to self-isolate because you have been in contact with someone with COVID-19. Those in England can come out of self-isolation after 7 days – instead of 10 – if they test negative for the virus on the sixth and seventh days. This is because if you have been infected, you could be infectious to others.
Some people infected with the virus have no symptoms, so it`s important to self-isolate to prevent the virus from spreading unintentionally. This means that if your symptoms started at any time on the 15th of the month, you can take daily LFD tests from the 21st of the month. If your LFD test results are negative on the 21st and 22nd and you do not have a high temperature, you can stop your isolation time after the negative test result on the 22nd. While the government has emphasized that interviewees must self-isolate, it is not a legal requirement to download the app or self-isolate when asked. Check to see if the people you live with may also need to self-isolate if you have symptoms during self-isolation or if your symptoms don`t go away. If employers feel that self-isolation of their employees will result in serious disruption, they can contact the relevant ministry and provide information on the expected impact. The published guidelines state that “if a particular case meets the criteria, the employer will receive a letter from the appropriate department listing the designated critical workers and informing them of the actions to be taken by them and these workers.” Quick decisions are made on a case-by-case basis and constantly reviewed. Note that a negative PCR test does not eliminate the need to complete the entire 10-day self-isolation period. These contacts are then contacted by SMS, email or phone. People contacted in this way are instructed to self-isolate for 10 days, whether they have symptoms or not. Although Downing Street insists those who have been told to self-isolate must do so, Commerce Secretary Paul Scully said earlier this week that self-isolation, after being asked to do so via the app, is a choice for individuals and employers, describing it as a “consultative tool” rather than a legal obligation. Self-isolation means you have to stay home.
Do not go to work, school or public places and do not use public transport or taxis. Members of your household may also need to self-isolate. The Guidelines for Households Potentially Infected with COVID-19 page provides more information on self-isolation. If you are a health or social worker, or if you work in a health or social services sector that has been identified as a contact and is exempt from self-isolation, there are additional guides you should follow to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 in these environments. See COVID-19: Management of staff and exposed patients and residents in health and social services institutions. With so many positive tests recently, people have relied on the NHS Covid-19 app to help them with their isolation data while Track and Trace is coping with the growing demand. If you live or have been in contact with someone with COVID-19, you don`t need to self-isolate if any of the following conditions are true: Sajid Javid, the health minister, said (via The Guardian): “We are reducing the self-isolation period from 10 days to seven if you test negative for two consecutive days on a lateral flow test.
