New isolation rules: Do I need to isolate over the weekend if I get pinged before rules change on Monday?

Anyone who is isolating after a negative PCR test over the weekend will be able to leave isolation on 16 August

Do I need to isolate if I get pinged this weekend? (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Boris Johnson has said that plans to change self-isolation rules on 16 August to free fully-vaccinated Britons from quarantine are “nailed on”. From Monday, anyone who is fully vaccinated will able to escape self-isolation if they come into contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.

In new rules published by the government, they state that people who have been in contact with a positive case are advised to get a free PCR test as soon as possible. While they are asked to take precautions, wear a face covering in enclosed spaces and limit contact with other people while waiting for the PCR result, they will not have to self-isolate unless the result is positive.

The rule change will likely ease the ‘pingdemic’ that has resulted in hundreds of thousands of people in Britain self-isolating after being ‘pinged’ by the NHS app over recent months.

NHS figures show 618,903 alerts were sent to app users in England and Wales between 8 July and 14 July because they had been in close contact with an infected person. The following week saw 395,971 alerts being sent out. This has led to an increasing number of people deleting the app to avoid pings.

The changes will be put into place following a week that has seen the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths slightly increase across England and Wales. A further 29,612 confirmed cases were reported on Wednesday, but a technical issue meant that the figure does not include numbers from Wales.

However, in contrast to the situation this time last year, almost 90 per cent of adults in the UK have now had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine and 75 per cent have had their second.

Do I need to isolate if I get pinged over the weekend ahead of the rule changes?

Currently, it is not actually a legal requirement either to download the NHS app or to self-isolate if pinged by it (although the government has stressed that you ‘must’ self-isolate if you are pinged). However, if you are contacted by NHS Test and Trace and told to self-isolate, it is a legal requirement to do so, with fines starting from £1,000 for those who fail to comply.

With these rules set to change on Monday, people might question if they need to adhere to them over the weekend. While the government hasn’t specifically answered this grey area, the prime minister has urged the public to remain cautious, saying the pandemic is not over.

But the new rules confirm that if a person’s self-isolation period began before 16 August and was due to end after 16 August, they will be able to leave self-isolation on 16 August. People who have tested positive for Covid-19 will need to continue to isolate for a total of 10 days.