As you may already be aware, the Isles of Scilly are currently experiencing a spike in positive COVID-19 cases. We are monitoring the situation and there is no reason to be overly concerned at this stage.
That said, whilst the legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive for COVID-19 was removed on 24 February 2022, your Public Health Team would like to offer you the following advice at this time, taking into account the high case rates:
It is strongly advised that you stay at home and avoid contact with others for at least 5 days from when your symptoms started (or from your positive test if you did not have symptoms). This will reduce the risk that you will pass the virus on to other people.
After 5 days, you may choose to take a Lateral Flow test, followed by another the next day. If both these tests are negative, and you do not have a temperature, you can return to your normal routine.
If you leave your home before 10 full days after testing positive, you risk passing COVID-19 to other people. It’s important that you take steps to reduce the chance of passing COVID-19 to others.
This means you should:
- work from home if you can
- limit contact with people, particularly those at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19
- wear a face covering in shops, on public transport and when it’s hard to stay away from other people – particularly indoors, in crowded places or where there is not much fresh air
- wash your hands regularly and cover coughs and sneezes
- let fresh air in if you meet indoors – the more fresh air you let into your home and other enclosed spaces, the less likely a person is to inhale infectious particles
Your close contacts will no longer be required to self-isolate or advised to take daily tests. However, it is strongly recommended that you continue to inform your close contacts that you have tested positive so that they can take extra care in following COVID-safe behaviours.
This advice is in line with the current government advice in relation to COVID-19. To read the guidance in full and access up-to-date information about how to access and record the results of tests, please visit the gov.uk website.