Coronavirus: Self-isolation period for coronavirus contacts and holiday quarantine cut to 10 days

From today (Monday 14 December 2020), anyone required to self-isolate, due to contact with someone who has had a positive test for COVID-19, will need to do so for 10 days instead of 14.

People who return from countries which are not on the travel corridor list should also self-isolate for 10 days instead of 14 days.

People who test positive should continue to self-isolate for 10 days from onset of symptoms, or 10 days from point of taking a positive test if asymptomatic.

The new guidance for people who need to self-isolate

The NHS Test and Trace service will tell people to self-isolate for 10 days instead of 14 days from today.

The change also means people who are contacts and have been self-isolating for 10 days or more will be able to end their quarantine on Monday.

Due to the time taken to test technical changes and release updates through the app store, the NHS COVID-19 app will only be able to tell close contacts to isolate for 10 days instead of 14 days from Thursday 17 December.

In England, if you receive a notification from the NHS COVID-19 app before 17 December to isolate because you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive:

• if you have also been contacted by NHS Test and Trace you must follow isolation guidance provided by contact tracers
• if you have been advised to isolate by the app (and not by NHS Test and Trace) then you can leave isolation when your isolation countdown timer says 3 days.

You can read more about Shropshire’s Tier 2 restrictions here

For local advice and support during the pandemic (especially if you are self-isolating), call Shropshire Council’s COVID-19 Helpline on 0345 678 9028 (lines open on the weekend on Saturday from 9am-4pm and Sunday 9am-12pm) or visit our website. 

Keep up to date by signing up for COVID-19 updates here