Self-isolation period to be reduced from 14 days to ten in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland
14 December 2020
Following on from the news that the Welsh Government has decreased the number of days that individuals are required to self-isolate and quarantine for, from 14 days to ten, it has now been confirmed that the same will apply in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The change has been made upon review of the evidence available, so that those who self-isolate or return from countries not on the travel corridor list are now only required to do so for a period of ten days.
Anyone who tests positive should continue to self-isolate for ten days from the onset of symptoms or from the point of receiving a positive test result, if they do not display symptoms.
From 14 December 2020, the change to the isolation period for contacts will be applicable to those who are currently self-isolating and will also include those who began self-isolation prior to that date. The period of self-isolation should commence on the day after exposure, a test, or the date when symptoms began.
From the same date, the NHS Test and Trace service will advise people to self-isolate for ten days as opposed to 14.
The NHS COVID-19 app, however, will only advise close contacts to isolate for ten days instead of 14 from 17 December 2020 due to the time taken to make the relevant technical changes to the app.
In England, where an individual receives notification from the NHS COVID-19 app prior to 17 December 2020, this is because they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive:
- If they have been contacted by NHS Test and Trace, they must follow the isolation guidance provided by contact tracers
- If they have been advised to isolate by the NHS COVID-19 app (and not via NHS Test and Trace), then they can end their period of isolation when the isolation countdown timer says three days
The information in this article is accurate at the time of publication. For all the latest information, news and resources on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting payroll professions, visit our Coronavirus hub.