Minister says August 16 easing of self-isolation rules for the double-jabbed could be put back

EASING of self-isolation rules for people “pinged” by the NHS app could be pushed back beyond August 16 if the third wave of Covid-19 infections has not peaked as expected by then, a Cabinet minister signalled today.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said the mid-August date was an “indicative plan” for when the double-jabbed will no longer have to self-isolate, instead using tests to check for the virus.

He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “The reason for that date being set in the middle of August is that is when we think that the current surge will have peaked.”

Pressed on what would happen if it had not, he added: “We would need to obviously keep things under review.”

Earlier, he told Sky News that the August 16 date could move in “either direction”, though “at the moment” it was not coming forward, despite calls from business chiefs and some MPs for this, with 618,903 people “pinged” in a week, staff shortages in many sectors and some empty supermarket shelves. Ministers say self-isolation for the “pinged” is a crucial tool in limiting the disease’s spread.

Covid-19 cases have fallen in recent days, though were still 39,906 in the UK yesterday, 4,463 in London, and are expected to rise following Monday’s ending of lockdown laws.

Coronavirus hospitalisations are also expected to increase in coming weeks. However, Mr Eustice voiced “confidence” they would not spiral because vaccines had cut the link between cases and admissions by about 95 per cent.

He rejected calls for the relaxation of self-isolation rules for about 10,000 workers in the food supply chain, and a small number of professionals in 16 other sectors such as nuclear power, the railways, and utilities, to be extended to the hospitality industry.

He signalled that vaccine passports might be required for the theatre, and also possibly the Conservative Party autumn conference — which some Tory MPs are threatening to boycott if this happens — although he suggested the pandemic could have eased by then, so the requirement might not be needed.

The Army could be deployed at the “drop of a hat” if the “pingdemic” worsens but there were no plans to use it at the moment, he added.

With retail sales up by 0.5 per cent in June, slightly lower than City expectations, Paul Dales, chief UK economist at Capital Economics, said: “Evidence indicates that the resurgence in the virus and the ‘pingdemic’ may have taken some oomph out of the overall economic recovery in July.”