At last! Covid isolation ‘set to be cut to 5 days’
BORIS Johnson has raised hopes the Covid isolation period could be reduced to five days either today or tomorrow after telling MPs a decision would be announced ‘as fast as possible’.
The Prime Minister confirmed to MPs that ministers were ‘certainly looking’ at the move, which has been demanded by business leaders and NHS chiefs.
And yesterday the schools minister said he would support a reduction, if it was backed by the science.
Last night – as the UK reported 129,587 cases of Covid and 398 deaths – sources said a decision would be made by the end of the week.
It is understood No 10 has urged scientific advisers to look at ways to cut isolation from the current seven days to five without raising health risks.
Ministers are thought to have concluded that the benefits of cutting quarantine to get more people back to work outweigh the increased risk of more people leaving self-isolation while still infectious.
It follows the humiliating announcement by the UK Health Security Agency
‘I’d welcome move in that direction’
that it had issued misleading claims about the way Britain’s rules compare with those in the US.
Business leaders have urged the Government to follow the example of the US and cut the isolation period, citing the impact of staff absence as well as people being forced to stay away from hospitality longer.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid and the leader of the NHS Confederation have also called for the change amid concerns over the ability of hospitals to treat as many patients with so much staff absence. Mr Johnson was asked whether he would support a cut during yesterday’s dramatic Prime Minister’s Question Time.
Simon Fell, Tory MP for Barrow and Furness, said that at his local hospital trust, up to 15 per cent of the workforce are isolating. He asked the PM if he would ‘consider reducing the isolation period to five days if it is seen to be safe to do so’.
Mr Johnson replied: ‘Yes, we are certainly looking at reducing the isolation period, and we hope to bring you more about that as fast as possible.’ Questioned by the Commons education select committee, schools minister Robin Walker said there had been ‘challenging levels of staff absence’ in England’s schools this year as Omicron cases spread – although they were less than feared.
The Department for Education has estimated that 8.6 per cent of teachers and school leaders in England – around 44,000 – were absent at the start of term last week. The minister said he would support cutting the time people with Covid-19 had to spend in selfisolation if scientists recommended a reduction.
He said: ‘I think if the scientific advice shows that five days is safe, I would welcome a move in that direction.’ Ministers cut the selfisolation period in England from ten days to seven just before Christmas, with a requirement that isolation cannot end without two days of negative lateral flow tests.
Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland all then followed suit after Christmas. Health Secretary Sajid Javid is said to be among the ministers backing the change. It came as Matthew Taylor, the NHS Confederation’s chief executive, said yesterday: ‘Unless things change... we are close to the national peak of Covid patients in hospital.’ Hospitalisations have fallen for the past week and yesterday 2,049 patients were admitted with the virus. There are 19,735 in hospital with Covid – half the level of this time last year.