UK to Cut Covid Self-isolation to 5 Days

A British Cabinet minister recommended, on Sunday, cutting the Covid self-isolation period from seven days to five.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said the measure would "certainly help", denying there were plans to stop supplying free lateral flow tests, according to reports.

Zahawi told the BBC the country was on the road "from pandemic to endemic".

Private and public sectors are feeling the effects of high case numbers on staff levels and Zahawi said he accepted that more school staff will end up off work isolating for coronavirus as case rates rise when pupils return.

"We are not calling to an end free lateral flow tests," he said.

Regarding school exams, he affirmed that "exams in January are going ahead" and "in the summer we will be going ahead with GCSEs and A-levels".

But he added that there was "always contingency planning".

Notably, countries like Spain and France cut covid self-isolation to seven days.