Rest of UK to slash self isolation from 14 to 10 days?

[Lumene]

Story in The Sun today. Wales has already done this. Anyone know if it’s true?

Am currently self-isolating due to NHS App but have only seen anyone outside so would be quite pleased.

BBC is reporting this. My son is on covid isolation officially until 17th but think this means he could be back on Monday - have e-mailed school to check, great notice by the government again.

Though at least it means we can finally get a plumber and electrician in and not have leaking taps and no lights in one room. DS was not best pleased - his plans for an extended Christmas holiday have just been dashed by the government.

@RaspberryCoulis

It's nothing to do with Christmas.

It's because if you're going to show symptoms after an exposure, or even have it and not know you have it, it's usually 4 or 5 days later. If you're going to show symptoms, you are going to have shown those symptoms by 10 days in. The tiny tiny percentage of people who take 2 weeks to show symptoms is so small that when they balance the cost to the economy and children's education against keeping people locked inside for an additional 4 days, they've decided it's not worth it.

Of course it's to do with Christmas and the mass testing of London school kids. No one will go for a test next week if they think they may then have to isolate for the whole holiday.

just read that if people have covid, only 1-2% will be able to pass it on after 10 days. Bearing in mind that the vast majority of people isolating will never get covid, the chances of passing on after 10 days seem vanishingly small.
Personally I still think it's disproportionate for school children. Very few, children in self isolation get ill yet how damaging is for kids to have to SI time and time again? Especially exam years. In France no children isolate other than when someone in their own household is ill.

@Frazzled2207

just read that if people have covid, only 1-2% will be able to pass it on after 10 days. Bearing in mind that the vast majority of people isolating will never get covid, the chances of passing on after 10 days seem vanishingly small. Personally I still think it's disproportionate for school children. Very few, children in self isolation get ill yet how damaging is for kids to have to SI time and time again? Especially exam years. In France no children isolate other than when someone in their own household is ill.

Yeh, that's a great idea. Send all the children back to school so that they can spread it to the teachers. FFS. Its not all about YOU.

Dont forget, a large proportion of people and children included are asymptomatic.

I nearly cried with relief. 4 less days with two young children is huge! We are now free on Wednesday instead of Saturday! We can still go see Santa on Friday! I can still get my hair cut! DD can have one of her days at nursery.. amazing!

I’ve long thought 14 days was a bit OTT. We know how viruses work, a very very tiny percentage of people would take 14 days to show any symptoms. On balance, 10 days is reasonable. Even that is probably not that common but makes sense to remain somewhat cautious.

In reality, by the time someone tests & gets results, you are looking at already being 2-3 days into the isolation period for close contact before you actually start. So then only a week of actual iso. Which is far easier to bear!

@Fortherosesjoni70
wow, at no point do I think it's just about me. I am thinking of the kids locally who have had FOUR fortnights of isolation in a 12 week period. By the letter of the law that means not leaving the house for 2 months. That is an absolutely massive amount of time to miss out educationally, emotionally and socially at a formative stage in their lives. Not to mention how parents are supposed to cope. There has to be a balance between keeping the virus under some kind of control and letting the kids continue to have some education, bearing in mind it's the middle class kids who have the laptops etc and kids from lower income families will undoubtedly suffer more.

Hopefully as time goes on some kind of mass testing will be possible to keep children in school, safely.

I'm not saying that kids should just carry on as they do in France, though am fairly sure that the French are looking at the scientific advice before making that call. But I have heard stories of here of 250 kids being sent home for a fortnight when one kid tests positive. How on earth are schools supposed to be able to educate the kids when that keeps happening constantly.