LONDON — People who are double jabbed or aged under 18 will no longer be legally required to self-isolate if they are identified as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case, effective Aug. 16 (Monday), the British government said in a press statement on Wednesday. The change was announced last month, as part of step 4 of the government's COVID-19 roadmap. With 75 percent of people having received both doses of the vaccine, the majority of adults in the United Kingdom will no longer need to self-isolate if they are contacts. These changes can be made next week as a result of the remarkable success of the UK's vaccine program, with over three-quarters of UK adults now double jabbed. The latest data from Public Health England and Cambridge University shows that around 60,000 deaths, 22 million infections and 66,900 hospitalizations have been prevented by the vaccines. As of Monday, double jabbed individuals and under 18s who are identified as close contacts by NHS Test and Trace will be advised to take a PCR test as soon as possible to check if they have the virus and for variants of concern. People can order a PCR home test online or by calling 119 or going to a test site, according to the statement. As double jabbed people identified as close contacts are still at risk of being infected, people are advised to consider other precautions such as wearing a face-covering in enclosed spaces and limit contact with other people, especially with anyone who is clinically extremely vulnerable. They will not be required to self-isolate while they wait for the results of the PCR test. Double vaccinated adults will no longer be required to self-isolate from Monday, as long as they received their final dose of an MHRA-approved vaccine in the UK vaccination program at least 14 days prior to contact with a positive case. Anyone who tests positive following the PCR test will still be legally required to self-isolate, irrespective of their vaccination status or age in order to break onwards chains of transmission. Meanwhile, anyone who develops COVID-19 symptoms should self-isolate and get a PCR test, and remain in isolation until the result comes back. Commenting on the new measure, UK 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 favor 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. Double jabbed people who test positive will still need to self-isolate," he added.
