January 14
The British government is reducing the minimum self-isolation period for people in England who test positive for COVID-19 to five days from seven.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid made the announcement on Thursday. He said that starting next Monday, people can leave isolation from day six if they test negative twice and do not have a fever.
Javid said the government wants to maximize activity in the economy and education. He also said official data suggested that two-thirds of people are no longer infectious by the end of the fifth day after they test positive.
Britain has been reporting more than 100,000 new infections a day with the spread of the Omicron variant. The surge has caused major disruption to the staffing of hospitals, schools and transport.
The government had previously reduced the isolation period to seven days from 10 days in England. It is hoped that cutting the period to five days will reduce staffing pressures.
Health officials are urging people to wear face masks and avoid contact in crowded places even after they complete quarantine in five days, as they may still infect other people.
The United States has also reduced the quarantine period to five days under certain conditions.
NHK
