Changes are coming to the NHS app rules.
Those in Britain who have been double-jabbed with the Covid-19 vaccine will no longer have to self-isolate from Monday (August 16), should they be pinged by the NHS Covid app.
Previously, anyone who had been traced on the app to be in close contact with someone that later tested positive would be required to isolate for up to 10 days.
Now, those who get pinged by the contact tracing app will instead be advised to take a PCR test, although this will not be mandatory. Close contacts will also be advised to wear a mask in all enclosed spaces.
Those under-18 will also no longer be required to isolate after a close contact, which has been brought in to tackle the disruption faced to school “bubbles” by isolation advice. Double-jabbed Brits will still have to isolate if they test positive for the virus.
Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Asking the close contacts of people with COVID-19 to self-isolate has played a critical role in helping us get this virus under control, and millions of people across the UK have made enormous sacrifices by doing this.
“Every single one of these sacrifices has helped us protect the NHS and save lives.
“Getting two doses of a vaccine has tipped the odds in our favour and allowed us to safely reclaim our lost freedoms, and from Monday we can take another huge step back towards our normal lives by removing self-isolation requirements for double jabbed people who are contacts of people with COVID-19.”