Self-isolation times to rise: Stay at home rule could be up to 14 days amid fears of a summer wave
- People who test positive for coronavirus could need to self-isolate for longer
- Ministers expected to extend seven-day period to 14 days in line with quarantine
- Boris Johnson said to be ‘extremely concerned’ about possibility of second spike
The number of days people must isolate for if they test positive for coronavirus is set to be increased today amid fears of a surge in infections.
Patients who are confirmed to have Covid are currently told to stay at home for seven days. Ministers are set extend this, probably to 14 days.
It would bring the self-isolation period in line with the 14 days for those who are a ‘close contact’ of a confirmed case or for people arriving back from a country under ‘quarantine’ rules.
Patients who are confirmed to have Covid could be told to stay at home for 14 days under a change to the rules. Pictured: People queue up at a walk-in Covid-19 testing centre at Crown Street car park in Stone, Staffordshire after nearby Crown and Anchor pub saw outbreak of the disease
Boris Johnson, pictured on a visit to Nottingham, expressed fears over a second Covid-19 onslaught within weeks
The move comes as fears intensify there will be a jump in infections next month.
The Daily Mail revealed yesterday how Boris Johnson was ‘extremely concerned’ about the possibility of a second spike.
The rolling average of daily cases has been rising since earlier this month, while there have been fresh restrictions in Oldham and localised outbreaks in Stone and Wrexham.
Health leaders yesterday told MPs they are very worried about a potential new wave.
Isolation rules have previously caused confusion as those confirmed to have the virus via a test have been told to isolate for seven days, whereas their ‘close contacts’ faced 14 days. The disparity was due to the time taken to develop symptoms of the virus.
Belgium and Luxembourg could be removed from the safe travel list as early as tomorrow and Croatia could also be at risk. Luxembourg has the highest incidence of coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in Europe
The Government has at times been accused of ‘mixed messaging’ over the rules.
An increase in the number of days those who test positive must isolate for will inevitably see people spending longer away from work.
Despite the warnings, Boris Johnson was urged not to panic over fears of a summer surge.
Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith said ministers should continue efforts to get the economy moving by urging more workers to return to the office. He said: ‘The message from the Government is still really fearful, it needs to be much more nuanced.
‘They must say, “Look, this is a disease that by and large affects those with co-morbidities. Protect the vulnerable but the rest of you should be getting back to work”.’ Mr Duncan Smith added: ‘We seem to have lost the ability to balance risk.’
Meanwhile, health leaders said there were ‘very high’ levels of concern about a fresh spike. Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, told the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus that non-Covid productivity in NHS trusts was currently at about 60 per cent.
He called for an ‘Amazon-style’ way for health and care workers to order personal protective equipment where it arrives the next day.
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the council of the British Medical Association, said another spike should not be seen as an ‘inevitability’ and it was time to be ‘more robust’ about mitigating the threat.
He also called for more concise public messaging over measures people can take to stop the spread of the virus.
‘If I look even at something as simple as our messages on social distancing we’re told that social distancing is still two metres, or one metre plus,’ he said.
‘Do you think any member of the public understands what one metre plus means? What does the plus mean? Many don’t really understand this because it’s not clear and they’re not social distancing.’