From 16 August, anyone who is fully vaccinated will no longer need to self-isolate when they are a contact of someone who has tested positive for Covid-19. The self-isolation requirement has now been removed for fully vaccinated people who are:
- A contact of someone who has tested positive for Covid-19;
- Returning to their care home following a planned hospital stay; or,
- Transferring from another care facility.
For those living, working in and visiting adult social care settings, there will continue to be some additional measures in place to protect residents and service users. In adult social care settings, the self-isolation exemption for fully vaccinated contacts means:
- Staff who are a contact can continue working if they have no symptoms and have a negative PCR test, followed by daily LFD tests for 10 days (from the point of contact). If the staff member works with patients or residents who are clinically extremely vulnerable to Covid-19 (as people who have Down’s syndrome are), a risk assessment should be undertaken, and consideration given to redeployment during the 10-day period;
- Residents in care homes who are a contact should not be required to self-isolate if they have no symptoms and have a negative PCR test. This should be followed by daily LFDs for 10 days (from the point of contact). Residents can continue to receive visitors unless there is an outbreak in the care home; and,
- Visitors to care homes who have been identified as a contact are advised against visiting for 10 days after contact unless absolutely necessary. Where visits do occur, visitors should have received a negative PCR result, and a negative LFD result on the day of their visit.
Self-isolation is still required for staff and residents while awaiting PCR test results.
This policy does not apply to staff, residents, and visitors who have tested positive for Covid-19. If someone has tested positive, they must self-isolate for 10 days, or 14 days if they are a resident in a care home or a high risk care setting in line with the stay at home guidance. This applies even if they are fully vaccinated. Vaccination reduces, but does not eliminate, the risk of acquiring and transmitting infection.
Planned hospital stays and transfer from other care facilities
Residents will no longer need to self-isolate following a transfer from another care facility or a planned stay in hospital, subject to a risk assessment. Residents discharged from hospital following an emergency admission should self-isolate, upon arrival, for 14 days, within their own room.
The following guidance has been updated to reflect these changes:
Admission and care of residents in a care home during Covid-19