Self-isolation rules flouted as 30% can’t be bothered

THREE out of ten people who feel ill with suspected coronavirus no longer bother to self-isolate before taking a test as compliance with restrictions falls to an all-time low.

And a quarter of people who receive a positive result break quarantine law during the ten-day isolation period, risking a £10,000 fine.

The figures were released by the Office for National Statistics as 43,676 new infections were reported and there were another 149 deaths.

Anyone with symptoms is advised to stay home until testing negative but the number doing so has fallen from 86 per cent in February to 71 per cent this month.

It remains a legal requirement for anyone in England to self-isolate for ten days after testing positive, only leaving their home for essential reasons. But a quarter admitted breaking the rules at least once, up from 14 per cent in May.

‘It’s important that we continue to self-isolate when necessary in order to help keep everyone safe and stop the spread of the virus, especially as we are moving into the winter months,’ said Tim Gibbs, of the ONS.

Unions warned that rules on mask-wearing are now being ‘ openly ignored’ on London’s transport network despite remaining a condition of travel.

Just 408 people have been refused entry to the network since July for refusing to wear a face covering, despite Transport for London employing 500 uniformed enforcement officers.

It came as photos emerged of Boris Johnson again breaking official guidance on wearing masks while watching Macbeth at a north London theatre. ‘The situation isn’t helped by the cavalier approach to protocols displayed by the prime minister on an almost daily basis,’ said RMT general secretary Mick Lynch.