‘It’s about striking a balance until more are vaccinated’

KEEPING isolation rules in place for an extra month is a “precaution” while the country fully reopens, a Cabinet minister insisted.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng admitted requiring vaccinated people who have had close contact with a Covid case to quarantine is “not a perfect solution”.

But he said the Government is trying to strike a balance between reopening the economy and protecting the country.

Mr Kwarteng, right, said it was being accused both of moving too fast and too slow on ending restrictions.

The Adam Smith

Institute predicted the 100,000 daily cases the Government expects by the summer would lead to 3.5 million people a week being forced to selfisolate. But Mr Kwarteng played down that prospect. Isolation rules remain in place until August 16 while more adults become fully vaccinated.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said delaying the rules while allowing people to socialise runs the risk “of everyone in the pub being pinged and locked down” for 10 days. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer raised fears that people are already deleting the NHS app to avoid being told to isolate.