The government has announced that the measures put in place under plan B in England will be lifted. You should continue to follow safer behaviours to protect yourself and others:
- Get vaccinated and get your booster dose
- Wear a face covering in most indoor public places and on public transport
- Let fresh air in if you meet indoors. Meeting outdoors is safer
- Get tested and self-isolate if required
This means:
- The government is no longer asking people to work from home if they can. People should now talk to their employers to agree on arrangements to return to the office.
- From 20 January: Face coverings will no longer be advised for staff and pupils in secondary school and college classrooms.
- From 27 January: Face coverings will no longer be advised for staff and pupils in communal areas of secondary schools, nor for staff in communal areas of primaries.
- From 27 January: There is no longer a legal requirement to wear a face covering. The government suggests that you continue to wear a face-covering in crowded and enclosed spaces where you may come into contact with other people you do not normally meet.
- From 27 January: Venues and events will no longer be required by law to check visitors’ NHS COVID Pass. The NHS COVID Pass can still be used on a voluntary basis.
COVID-19 still remains a risk
It is still possible to catch and spread COVID-19, even if you are fully vaccinated.
Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms or a positive test result should stay at home and self-isolate immediately. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should arrange to take a PCR test as soon as possible, even if you’ve had one or more doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. You can end your self-isolation on the sixth day of self-isolation following 5 full days of isolating and 2 negative rapid lateral flow test tests taken on consecutive days.
The first rapid lateral flow test should not be taken before the fifth day. The self-isolation period remains 10 full days for those without negative results from 2 rapid lateral flow tests taken a day apart. This is the law, regardless of whether you have been vaccinated.