The NHS is still telling Covid-infected people in England to self-isolate for ten days, MailOnline can reveal.
Even though ministers last week decided to reduce the quarantine time to only one week for anyone who tests negative twice in a row,
However, the NHS has not yet displayed No10’s change in its guidance website for more than one week.
If you are looking for information about how long it takes to self-isolate Covid-infected individuals in England, click here to go to another page.
England has its own isolation guidance. The original 10 day period has been maintained by the rest of the UK.
As scientists, business leaders and politicians all line up to demand that Boris Johnson reduce self-isolation by five days to be in line with the US, it comes just as MPs, scientists and members of parliament are also calling for this.
Britons looking for self-isolation online might be directed to this webpage, which tells them to stay isolated for 10 days. The link above will reveal the 7-day rule. Click the link.
Clicking the link will take you to this page. For the seven-day rule to be revealed, users must choose ‘if your test positive’ (highlighted in bold).
If you have tested positive, the window below will show people who are positive for Covid may leave self-isolation up to three days before their scheduled departure date if they receive a negative side flow between day 6 and 7.
Boris Johnson faces increasing pressure to reduce the time in isolation to five days, as per the US. The move could lead to more NHS employees leaving quarantine sooner and returning to their first-line jobs.
People searching self-isolate rules online are taken to a page on the NHS website titled ‘when to self-isolate and what to do — Coronavirus (COVID-19)’.
The bottom section explains how long you need to isolate yourself. ‘If your test is positive, the self-isolation period begins on the date your symptoms began (or, in the case of a negative test), and continues for the next 10 days.
If you click the link that says “how long to isolate yourself”, then you will be taken to a new page.
To learn more about the 7-day rule, click the button titled “if you have tested positive”.
MailOnline has yet to receive a response from the NHS to our queries about whether or not the page would be updated in order to clarify the isolation rules.
Hidden guidance raised concerns that Britons could still be isolated for the entire ten-day period, even though this was not required.
On December 22, ministers stated that Britons wouldn’t have to be isolated for more than seven days as long as they received two negative lateral flow test results within 24 hours.
Sajid Javid, Health Secretary to the Government of India said that evidence proved that lateral flow protection was similar to 10 days isolation with no tests.
The updated guidance, he said, would reduce staff shortages at the NHS and other essential services created by Omicron.
According to figures, as high as 875,000 people are required to stay indoors after being tested positive. Thousands of health professionals can also be self-isolating.
Staff shortages mean almost one in 20 train services have been cancelled and a third of London’s fire engines are off the streets.
This rule is only applicable in England. However, people with positive Covid tests in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland will still need to isolate for at least ten days.
This comes as MPs, scientists and business leaders are calling for shorter periods of time in accordance with US updates.
Professor Tim Spector, who leads the Zoe Covid Study at King’s College London, said: ‘Five days is sensible if the individual has two lateral flow tests negative.
‘A reduction in isolation days would help many frontline services by allowing low-risk staff to go into work and avoid people staying home unnecessarily.’
Tory backbencher Andrew Bridgen told Sky News yesterday: ‘The biggest threat I see now to the NHS, and indeed to all essential services and businesses, is from forced absenteeism due to self-isolation. America has reduced self-isolation to just five days. I think we can do the same.’
CBI president Lord Bilimoria said: ‘We have got to go for as low an isolation period as is safe because the disruption at the moment is huge.’
Boris Johnson was warned yesterday by a World Health Organization senior official not to use Covid-fighting strategies that were based on Omicron data ‘early.’
Dr Michael Ryan was the Executive Director of the Agency’s Health Emergency Programme. He advised that the Government wait to see before taking action.
However, he said that there were less chances for someone to transmit the virus within six days after becoming infected. He also acknowledged it was up the countries to take a “judgement” call.
A WHO conference was attended by Dr Ryan. He stated that even with previous variants, most people incubate the symptoms and become positive within the first six days. After that time the chance of becoming positive for the disease or passing it on to others is lower.
“But, it is for governments to make the decision about when to let people out of quarantine situations with extra testing.
‘The most important thing at this moment is we need to be careful about changing tactics and strategies immediately on the basis of what we’re seeing in early Omicron data.’
Yesterday, UK officials stated that there were no further changes to the self-isolation laws in the country and maintained the existing strategy as ‘right.