The guidelines have been revised for clarity. In addition, there is a new section on collecting customer and visitor data for NHS Test and Trace. The section “If an employee develops symptoms and requests a test” has been supplemented with the following information: If an interaction between 2 people took place via a plexiglass screen (or equivalent screen), this would not be considered sufficient contact. Contact tracers do not consider the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) as a mitigation when assessing whether a recent contact is likely to have risked transmission of the virus. If you live with other people, they don`t have to self-isolate, but you should follow the advice on how to avoid transmitting COVID-19 to the people you live with. If you don`t live with other people, consider asking others for help or delivery services for essential activities like groceries. Self-isolation can be especially difficult if you are caring for children or vulnerable people who cannot stay with friends or family. About a third of people (37%) also think you`re required by law to self-isolate if someone you`ve recently seen in person tells you they`ve tested positive, which is false. Regardless of your vaccination status, you must self-isolate from others if you have COVID-19.

Contacts are not required by law to self-isolate, regardless of vaccination status, if they are under the age of 18. If you are 18 years old, it is recommended that you be treated in the same way as people under 18 years of age until the age of 18 years and 6 months so that you have time to be fully vaccinated. The rules around the app contrast with those of the NHS Test and Trace contract tracking system, where a person is required by law to self-isolate when contacted. Almost eight in ten people (79%) correctly described this as a legal obligation, but 7% of respondents think this is not the case. Changed the line from which contact tracers send text messages – from `NHS` to `NHStracing`. No. Ministry of Health protocols do not require testing or return to work or school letters for asymptomatic individuals exposed or returning from isolation. Letters of release are not required and this requirement is not recommended.

Neither local health authorities nor the Ministry of Health provide these letters and, if necessary, employees should receive letters from their health care provider to return to work. If an employer decides to require testing, PCR should not be required. It is a criminal offence for you (as an employer) to allow an employee to visit the workplace or work in a place other than where they are self-isolating if you know that the employee is legally required to self-isolate. Your business can be fined a fixed from £1,000 if you fail to comply. Check if the people you live with also need to self-isolate NHS Test and Trace, and the NHS COVID-19 app will check if you need to self-isolate because you`ve been in contact with someone with COVID-19. While everyone must self-isolate if they have COVID, under certain conditions, individuals can return earlier to daycare, school, or a health care facility. See instructions on returning to work, school and child care below. You will receive a link to the NHS Test and Trace website and you will be asked to create a confidential account where you can save details of your recent close contacts. If you do not have access to the internet or do not complete the online process, one of our contact tracers will call you to receive this information from you. They also break the law if you don`t self-isolate when NHS Test and Trace says you have to – for example, if they call you or text you. This does not include retrieving a message or pinging the NHS COVID-19 app.

Added references to local contact tracers with information on how and when they can contact you. If you are testing because you are a close contact and are not exempt from self-isolation (see exceptions below) and you have been informed by NHS Test and Trace that you are legally obliged to self-isolate, you will need to self-isolate pending your test result, and you must continue to do so if you have a negative result. This is because you could still become infectious during the 10-day isolation period. If you are identified as someone who has recently had close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or who lives in the same household as them, and you are not exempt from self-isolation as a contact, we will inform you that you must self-isolate in accordance with medical advice and the law. Self-isolation means staying home and not leaving the house at all times. You can`t leave home to go to work if the law says you have to self-isolate – for example, if you test positive for coronavirus. Follow these tips for a full 10 days after your last contact with the person who tested positive for COVID-19, or if the person is part of your household, until the household member who contracted COVID-19 reaches the end of their self-isolation period. Employers should support workers who are asked to self-isolate and not ask them to report to work. Read the NHS Test and Trace service guide for employers, businesses and employees.

If you have a job, talk to your employer about whether you can work from home or if there are other options available while you are self-isolating. If you are testing because you are a close contact and are exempt from self-isolation (see exceptions below), you do not have to self-isolate while waiting for your test result. If the result is negative, you do not need to complete a 10-day self-isolation period, but you should also follow advice on how to avoid contracting and spreading COVID-19. If the NHS COVID-19 app detects that you have been in close contact with a confirmed case, questions will be asked to determine if you are exempt from the legal requirement to self-isolate. If this is the case, you will be advised to get tested, but not to isolate yourself. If you are not exempt, he or she will advise you to self-isolate and get tested. There is no legal obligation to inform your employer via an app notification. People tend to criticize those who keep the app but ignore it.

Almost six in ten people (58%) would think worse of someone who has been `pinged` by the NHS COVID app but has chosen not to self-isolate, compared with 28% who would think no differently from them. You are breaking the law if you do not self-isolate if you test positive for coronavirus. NHS Test and Trace will provide proof that someone has been instructed to self-isolate. This evidence may be shared with an employer or education provider. Get an isolation note if you need proof that you have been asked to self-isolate. What if NHS Test and Trace or the NHS COVID-19 app tells you to stay home (self-isolation) because you have been in contact with someone with coronavirus (COVID-19)? If you need to self-isolate and work outside of where you are self-isolating, you must inform your employer. If you don`t, you can receive a fixed fine of £50. Read the additional instructions on how to get a free PCR test.

If you choose to take a test, you will still have to self-isolate even if your result is negative. This is because you could still become infectious. If you need to provide your employer with proof of a positive test result or that you have been in close contact with a positive case and need to self-isolate, you can ask the NHS for an isolation note. Learn more about workers` rights if you need to self-isolate or can`t get to work due to COVID-19.