England refuses to follow Wales’ example on self-isolation rules

England is not following Wales’ example when it comes to self-isolation rules, it has been confirmed.

The UK Government has announced there will be exemptions for some key workers, who will be able to avoid Covid-19 isolation rules in England.

However, these laxer regulations, where a list of professions will be exempt from self-isolating for 10 days if they are a contact of a positive Covid case, will not be coming into force in Wales, the Welsh Government has said.

The move by the UK Government comes amid a so called ‘pingdemic’ where a record 618,903 people were sent self-isolation alerts from the NHS Covid-19 app in England and Wales in the space of a week. Of these alerts 11,417 were sent in Wales.

This has hit a number of businesses and public services, including hospitals, bins collections, supermarkets, care homes, which have lost thousands of staff because of staff self-isolating..

This follows a spike in Covid cases after Boris Johnson’s administration decided to scrap most Covid regulations in England.

The Welsh Government has said that it wants to remove the requirement for people who have been fully vaccinated to self-isolate if they are a close contact of someone who has tested positive for coronavirus.

‘No changes’ 

However, no changes will be made to the regulations until the next review, which is expected to take place on August 5.

A Welsh Government spokesperson told WalesOnline: “We are intending to remove the requirement for people who have been fully-vaccinated to self-isolate if they are a close contact of someone who has tested positive for Coronavirus. These changes will come into effect during the next 21-day coronavirus review cycle, which starts on August 7.

“We are working closely with partners to assess the risks and possible impacts of self-isolation on critical services and any mitigation that might be needed. Until any changes are introduced, it is essential that anyone who is asked to self-isolate does so.

“Everyone who has symptoms of coronavirus or who tests positive for coronavirus will also continue to be required to self-isolate – no matter how old they are or whether they have been vaccinated or not.”