UK Covid self-isolation period set to be reduced to 10 days

Governments across the UK are to announce a reduction in the coronavirus self-isolation period, from 14 to 10 days, it is understood.

It is expected the chief medical officers of all four UK nations will formally announce the change later on Friday.

The reduction has been mooted for weeks, with the 10-day period reported in November to have been chosen as a compromise between the recommendation of Prof Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, and the desire of Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson’s then chief adviser, for it to be lower.

The reduction is expected to be helped by the mass use of rapid coronavirus tests, which can help reassure people without symptoms that they are not carrying the virus.

Another issue with the 14-day period has been low rates of compliance, often because people cannot afford to miss work for such a long period, especially if they are not entitled to sick pay. According to documents from the government’s Sage group of scientific advisers released in September, less than 20% of people in England fully self-isolate when asked to do so.

“Rates of self-isolation from other members of a household [are] likely to be lower due to physical and other practical constraints,” the minutes said. “These rates may be even lower in those who are asymptomatic who receive a positive result on mass testing, given likely lower perceived risk of being infected.”

Poorer people were less likely to self-isolate because they could not afford to miss work, the scientists said.

Johnson was forced to isolate inside Downing Street for a fortnight from mid-November after holding a meeting inside No 10 with a group of Tory MPs.

One of these, Lee Anderson, the MP for Ashfield, in Nottinghamshire, later tested positive for Covid. Johnson was pictured standing next to Anderson inside Downing Street. The men appeared to be less than 2 metres apart and neither was wearing a mask.

Sir Keir Starmer is self-isolating for a second time after a staff member in his private office tested positive for coronavirus. The Labour leader previously self-isolated in mid-September when a member of his household showed possible symptoms of the virus.