How the Covid isolation rules will change on August 16 if you are double jabbed

From the 16th August, the rules in England are set to ease once again to allow more people to travel, and require fewer people to isolate after coming in close contact with the virus.

What changes are being made?

People who have received both doses of the vaccine will no longer need to self-isolate when coming into contact with someone who tests positive for the virus.

Current restrictions require a person to isolate for 10 days when 'pinged' by the NHS app or directly contacted by Test and Trace.

It was revealed last week that more people in Leeds were 'pinged' by the app than anywhere else in the country, with more than 600,000 being told to isolate across the UK in just seven days.

Single-jabbed people or those yet to receive a dose will still be required by law to self-isolate if told to do so by the NHS app or Test and Trace.

Covid measures in schools, such as 'bubbles', will also come to an end next month as restrictions continue to ease.

How will this affect travel?

Fully vaccinated adults are allowed to travel to both green and amber list countries without needing to self-isolate upon their return.

Expats returning to England or those vaccinated abroad are not exempt from isolation however, and are still required to self isolate after entering the country.

Under 18s do not need to isolate after visiting an amber list destination.

Those travelling to amber list countries need to purchase a PCR test upon arrival, and do a Covid test three days before returning to England.

People travelling to green list countries must take a test before they leave the UK, and take another test upon their return.

Who is exempt?

The government has released a list of professions that are exempt from isolation when coming into contact with someone who tests positive, regardless of their vaccination status.

They do however need to take a daily test before travelling to work, and must isolate immediately if they then test positive.

The professions include the likes of food production, civil engineering and local government. Read the full list here.

Do I need a vaccine passport?

Vaccine passports, or NHS Covid Passes, are not set to be used in England until the end of September, with proof of vaccination then being required to enter spaces such as nightclubs, live music venues and crowded environments.

These passports are already in circulation in countries such as Croatia, Austria and Bulgaria.

The passports will be digital, and can be issued to a person based on their vaccination status or if they test negative for the virus.

Passes based on vaccination status renew automatically, but those based on a negative test result are only valid for 48 hours.

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