Scotland has scrapped the legal requirement to wear masks at indoor venues and on public transport, bringing it now in line with the rest of the UK. The move reminds us that Covid-19 rules can differ across the four nations, reports i news.
What are the Covid symptoms?
According to the NHS the symptoms are:
- continuous cough
- high temperature, fever or chills
- loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell
- shortness of breath
- feeling tired or exhausted
- aching body
- headache
- sore throat
- blocked or runny nose
- loss of appetite
- diarrhoea
- feeling sick or being sick
When can you leave isolation after Covid?
The advice is different in parts of the UK.
England
In England you’re no longer legally required to self-isolate if you have Covid-19. However, the NHS advises you should try to stay at home and away from others to avoid passing on the virus.
The NHS states you should:
try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for five days
avoiding meeting people at higher risk from Covid-19 for 10 days, especially if their immune system means they’re at higher risk of serious illness from Covid-19, even if they’ve had a Covid-19 vaccine
This starts from the day after you did the test.
If you do leave home, the Government advises you should wear a mask and avoid crowded spaces.
You can go back to your normal activities if you:
- feel well enough to do so
- do not have a high temperature
Free tests are now no longer available for most people in England. However, you can buy one for about £2.
Scotland
According to government advice if you have Covid-19 symptoms you should self-isolate “immediately” and book a PCR test. If you test positive, you should self-isolate for 10 days from the date your symptoms started.
If you’ve had a positive PCR or lateral flow test result but no symptoms, you should still self-isolate for 10 days from the date of your test.
You should only end self-isolation after two negative lateral flow tests in a row from day six onwards taken 24 hours apart.
If you continue to test positive, or are not testing yourself, you can end self-isolation early on the 11th day after the symptoms started so long as you feel better and don’t have a high temperature.
If you’re a close contact of someone with the virus but you are fully vaccinated, you can take daily lateral flow tests instead of self-isolating.
Wales
If you have any of the main symptoms of Covid-19, the advice is you should self-isolate and take a lateral flow test.
You should continue to self-isolate until you get your lateral flow test result.
If you test positive for Covid-19 you should self-isolate for five full days. Day one is the day after your symptoms started or the day after you had the test if you do not have symptoms (whichever is earlier).
You should then take a lateral flow test on day five. If it is negative and you don’t have a high temperature you can leave self-isolation on day six.
However, if you still have a temperature and feel unwell you should continue to self-isolate until your temperature returns to normal or you feel better.
If the day five or day six test is positive you should continue taking daily lateral flow tests until you get two negative tests in a row, taken a day apart or until day 10 – whichever is sooner.
Northern Ireland
If you have symptoms of or have been diagnosed with Covid-19 then you should self-isolate. According to government advice, you should self-isolate if:
- you have symptoms of coronavirus (you can end isolation after a negative PCR result)
- you have tested positive for coronavirus (10 days isolation with potential to release early from day six)
- you’re a close contact of someone who has tested positive for coronavirus and you are not fully vaccinated
- You should also book a PCR test these are available for free until 22 April. Thereafter only lateral flow tests will be offered for free.
If you test positive for Covid-19, you should isolate for 10 days from the date you took the test or the date your symptoms started, whichever is sooner. This day is day zero.
You may be able to end your self-isolation period from day six if:
- you have two consecutive negative lateral flow test results taken 24 hours apart. The first of these should be taken no earlier than day five
- you do not have a high temperature.
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Source: i news
