Now France cuts isolation to 5 days
FRANCE yesterday became the latest country to introduce a five-day isolation period for those with Covid, as pressure grew on UK ministers to follow suit.
Despite cases surging in Europe, French authorities cut the isolation period from ten days to five for those who are double-vaccinated and produce a negative test.
It came as anti-lockdown protests in Amsterdam turned violent yesterday. Demonstrators were mauled by police dogs and hit with batons by officers who were trying to disband a march.
While England’s quarantine rules remain in place – negative tests on day six and seven mean you can leave the house – the number of NHS staff off sick or isolating continues to rocket.
In recent days the number of NHS workers staying at home for Covid reasons has doubled.
NHS figures show that on December 12, NHS England recorded 12,240 staff absent due to Covid sickness or self-isolation. Two weeks later, on December 2 , this had doubled to 24, 32, and by New Year’s Eve it had doubled again to almost 50,000 – accounting for nearly half of all staff absences, The Sunday Times reported.
Chris Hopson, chairman of NHS Providers, said staff absences were having a greater impact than during last January’s Covid wave. He tweeted: ‘Staff flat out, especially given level of staff absences. We will need to ask them to perform flexible heroics again if hospital Covid numbers continue to rise. We can’t keep doing this.’
America was the first country to shorten the isolation period, followed by Greece and France.
Professor Tim Spector, who leads the Zoe Covid Study at King’s College London, has described the five-day period as ‘sensible’ as long as the individual has had two negative lateral flow tests.
‘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,’ Professor Spector said.
But allowing people to stop isolating five days after they experience Covid symptoms could actually spread the virus and worsen NHS staff shortages, the UK Health Security Agency said.
It said that between 10 and 30 per cent of people would still be infectious after five days, compared with 5 per cent under the seven-day rule.
Health minister Ed Argar said the Government had not yet received scientific advice on cutting the isolation period.
CLADDING victims reacted with fury after being told last week their block needed repairs costing them £85,000 each.
Shared ownership leaseholders at Oyster Court in Elephant and Castle, south London, must now find £2.6million to fix fire safety defects at their four-storey development.
But they will not be eligible for state funding because the building is below 18 metres in height and lower risk, according to the Government. A neighbouring private block is set to have its repairs paid in full because it is above 18 metres. Liam Spragley says his dream of climbing the property ladder has been shattered. The 39-year-old who lives with his husband Ollie, 36, bought a 25 per cent share of his flat for £75,000 when he was 26. But his stake could be wiped out by the £85,000 repair bill. Mr Spragley, who works in marketing, said: ‘I’m massively in negative equity. It’s heartbreaking. I turn 40 next year and I’m trapped.’ Emma McGovern, a 34-year-old teacher and mother of four, also fears ending up with nothing because of the huge remediation bill. She said: ‘Our block is so small, I can’t believe it. The whole point of moving into shared ownership was that it’s meant to be affordable housing.’ She owns 45 per cent of her flat, having taken out a £120,000 mortgage.