London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

Covid: Who has to self-isolate, which workers are exempt and what if I'm fully vaccinated?

Covid: Who has to self-isolate, which workers are exempt and what if I'm fully vaccinated?

Changes to self-isolation rules in England and Northern Ireland come into effect on Monday 16 August.

It means that far fewer people will have to quarantine if they have been in contact with someone with Covid.

What rules are changing and when?


Fully vaccinated adults will no longer have to self-isolate for 10 days if they're told they have been in close contact with a person who has Covid.

This rule also applies to everyone under the age of 18.

These changes have already come into force in Scotland and Wales.

Anyone in this situation is now advised instead to take a PCR test as soon as possible. If the result is negative, no further action is needed. However, if the result is positive, they will need to self-isolate just like anyone else.

In Wales and Northern Ireland, people are also advised to take further PCR tests on day two and day eight.

And in England, people are advised to take extra measures like wearing face coverings in enclosed spaces and limiting contact with others, especially the clinically vulnerable.

It's hoped that easing the rules for children will mean fewer will miss school.

Each UK nation has its own contact-tracing service:

* England - NHS Test and Trace
* Scotland - Test and Protect
* Wales - Test, Trace, Protect
* Northern Ireland - Contact tracing service

When do I need to self-isolate?


You still need to self-isolate for 10 days if you:

* test positive for Covid-19
* live with someone who tests positive
* are approached by text, email or phone by contact tracers who identify you as a close contact of someone who has tested positive - adults who are not fully vaccinated will have to continue to do this
* arrive in the UK from a red list country
* arrive in the UK from an amber list country (under-18s and fully vaccinated people using the NHS Covid Pass in England and Wales, or equivalent schemes in Scotland and Northern Ireland, are exempt)

You must also self-isolate if you or someone you live with have Covid symptoms. You can stop self-isolating if the person with symptoms gets a negative PCR result.

What if I am 'pinged'?


If you are "pinged" by the NHS Covid app you're advised - but not legally obliged - to self-isolate.

The sensitivity of the NHS Covid-19 app in England and Wales was recently tweaked to ensure that fewer people were advised to quarantine.

What does self-isolation mean?


Self-isolation means staying at home and not going out for any reason.

You should order online groceries, or ask friends or family to help.

No-one from outside your household should come inside, unless to deliver essential care.

If you test positive and feel fine, but subsequently develop symptoms, you must restart your 10-day isolation.

If you have symptoms or test positive, you should:

* Keep your distance from other members of your household
* Leave windows open to improve ventilation
* If possible, sleep and eat in a different room, and use a separate bathroom
* If you share a bathroom, use it after everyone else and clean it thoroughly


Will I be paid if I have to self-isolate?


A £500 grant is available in England to people on low incomes who have to self-isolate. This includes parents who can't work because their child has to self-isolate. It is a single payment to cover 10 days' isolation.

In Scotland people can apply for the Self-Isolation Support Grant, worth £500. There is a similar scheme in Wales. In Northern Ireland, a discretionary payment is available.

You may also be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay, which is worth £96.35 a week. Employers with their own sick pay scheme will pay more.

How are the rules enforced?


Anyone who does not self-isolate could be fined. In England, fines start at £1,000 rising to £10,000.

However, there have been concerns about how many people follow the rules. Some studies have suggested fewer than 20% do so.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
×