Decision on reducing self-isolation times imminnet, PM suggests

The Prime Minister’s spokesman told the lobby briefing this afternoon that while the Omicron variant remains new the UK Health Security Agency and Covid Task Force “will continue to look at the evidence for what is the right period of isolation”.

“Of course, as the Prime Minister said, if it is possible to go further then we will do so,” he went on, adding: “If it is possible to go further, we’d want to act quickly but it needs to be based on the latest evidence and that work is still ongoing.
“We certainly haven’t received any further updated advice.”

Earlier today Boris Johnson has told reporters during a visit to a vaccination centre in his West London constituency that ministers are considering slashing the self-isolation period to five days.

When quizzed over whether a decision on the matter could be expected soon, he said it was and explained “we’ll act according to the science as we always have. But what I would say to everybody is that omicron is still out there, it’s incredibly contagious, everybody will know somebody who has had it, it can be pretty unpleasant.

“Sadly, as you know, 90 per cent of the people who are in the ICU with Covid have not been vaccinated and it’s absolutely vital that everybody gets their booster,” he continued.