Residents of Lancashire who are fully vaccinated will no longer have to self-isolate if they have had close contact with someone with Covid-19.
From today, Monday 16 August, people who are double jabbed or aged under 18 are not legally required to self-isolate if they are identified as a close contact of a positive Covid-19 case.
Instead, double jabbed adults and under 18s who are identified as close contacts by NHS Test and Trace will be advised to take a PCR test as soon as possible to check if they have the virus.
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People do not need to self-isolate while they wait for the results of the PCR test. PCR home tests can be ordered online or by calling 119, or by going to a local test site.
Anyone who tests positive following the PCR test will still be legally required to self-isolate.
Meanwhile anyone who develops one of the three traditional symptoms of Covid-19 – a high temperature; a new, continuous cough or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – should self-isolate and get a PCR test, and remain in isolation until the result comes back.
Alongside PCR testing, everyone in England is encouraged to take up the offer of free, twice-weekly rapid testing to find additional cases among people who do not have symptoms.
Allan Oldfield, vice chair of the Lancashire Resilience Forum, said: “These changes will massively reduce the disruption Covid-19 has caused to our lives and go some way to seeing life return to normal. These new rules only apply to those who have had both doses of the Covid vaccine, however, so if you are eligible and have not yet taken up the offer to do so – please do.
“We must also continue to take sensible steps to limit the spread of the virus within our community, such as washing hands regularly and wearing face masks in crowded places.
“Thank you to everyone who has continued to do this in recent weeks, despite restrictions easing, to help manage the Delta variant that is still ever present in Lancashire.”
Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, Director of Public Health for Lancashire County Council, said: “Cases of Covid-19 remain high in Lancashire, and we are now starting to see a rise in a number of districts.
“Having two jabs is still the most effective thing you can do to protect yourself against Covid-19.Doing so will significantly reduce the chance of hospitalisation and death and will reduce the chance of spreading the virus to others, although it is not 100% effective in preventing transmission.
“If you are eligible and are not yet fully vaccinated, please do so at the earliest opportunity to protect yourself and those who you care about. Getting a PCR test if you are a close contact and continuing to test regularly – as well as continuing to take sensible precautions – will also be crucial in keeping Lancashire on the road to recovery.”
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