With announcement from the UK Government, the position in England will change from Monday 17 January 2022.
What is the current position in England?
From Monday 17 January people with COVID-19 in England can end their self-isolation after 5 full days, as long as they ae not displaying any symptoms and test negative on day 5 and day 6.
If a member of staff remains symptomatic, or does not test negative on 2 separate occasions then the default self-isolation period continues to be 10 days,
How is the period calculated?
Day 0 of the isolation period is when a person first shows symptoms or, if asymptomatic, the day you took your test.
What is the position in the rest of the UK?
Covid-19 remains a devolved issues and so each of the home nations has separate rules. As of Friday 14 January 2022 these are,
- Scotland - maintains a self-isolation period of 10 days which can be ended early after day 6 where people are not displaying a high temperature and return a negative lateral flow test on day 6 and 7
- Wales – maintains a self-isolation period of 7 full days with a negative lateral flow test on day 6 and 7 unless people are not fully vaccinated where a 10-day isolation period remains
- Northern Ireland - maintains a self-isolation period of 10 days which can be ended early after day 6 where people are not displaying a high temperature and return a negative lateral flow test on day 6 and 7
Conclusion
The reduction in the self-isolation period in England (as well as the option to end early in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) will assist those businesses who are struggling due to staff availability.
However with a reduction in the period of self-isolation there is an increased risk of staff returning whilst still infectious. We therefore strongly advise that each member undertake a risk assessment prior to any staff returning and consider whether to instigate additional protections such as mask wearing and social distancing within the workplace for a period after staff return.
As always, this advice is general in nature and will need to be tailored to any one particular situation. As an RMI member you have access to the RMI Legal advice line, as well as a number of industry experts for your assistance. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the Member Helpline on 0845 305 42 30.
Motor Industry Legal Services
Motor Industry Legal Services (MILS Legal Ltd) provides fully comprehensive legal advice and representation to UK motor retailers for one annual fee. It is the only law firm in the UK which specialises in motor law and motor trade law. MILS currently advises over 1,000 individual businesses within the sector as well as the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI) and its members.
