UK set to cut Covid self-isolation to 10 days after Cummings and Whitty row

[Northerner]

The Covid self-isolation period is expected to be cut from two weeks to 10 days after a row involving Prof Chris Whitty and Dominic Cummings, who had been pushing for a more drastic change, the Guardian understands.

The reduced quarantine time is to be made possible by increasing the use of rapid tests – for which the UK government has paid more than £500m, despite the fact that some are not designed to test people without symptoms.

It comes amid growing concerns about compliance, with only 11% of people abiding fully by the current two-week self-isolation rule.

Under the new proposals, people are expected to be allowed to stop self-isolating on the 10th day after coming into contact with an infected person, following a negative test, in the hope this will improve compliance. But if they test positive on that date, they will be asked to continue self-isolating for a further eight days.

The planned change is a compromise hammered out at No 10 after Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, rejected proposals instigated by Cummings, the prime minister’s most senior aide, for a more dramatic cut in the quarantine period, according to a source with knowledge of the discussions. Downing Street did not deny the claims.

UK set to cut Covid self-isolation to 10 days after Cummings and Whitty row

Exclusive: plan to cut from 14 days came after argument between England’s chief medical officer and PM’s aide

www.theguardian.com

Why is Cummings worried? The rules don't apply to him 🙄

 

[pm133]

I can't see any circumstances where they will gain widespread compliance from people. How do people in quarantine get food for a start when online delivery slots are booked up weeks in advance? Also, not everyone has a smart phone and won't be on the system. How do you handle those people? Then you have the potential for someone who ends up constantly being quarantined because of other people in their networks?

We are a nation full of people who have a history of boasting about never taking a sick day regardless of having the flu or a bad cold and now we expect the same people to sit at home for weeks on end, probably multiple times, who probably don't even have the virus?

I can understand the overall aim here in theory but I can't understand the practical, political objective given all of the above insurmountable (in my opinion) problems. They are setting completely unrealistic expectations if they think anything more than 20% compliance.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Why is Cummings worried? The rules don't apply to him

Cummings wants to increase the popularity of the government, and presumably this idea of shortening isolation goes down well in focus groups while not costing anything. I also doubt it'll work all that well. (I've no idea whether, if people isolated, reducing the length in this way would be OK. I just doubt it'll improve conformance that much.)

For some reason the government really doesn't want to spend money on this to do it properly, even though many other countries do and it doesn't feel like it would be that costly.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Weirdly i think this could well be counterproductive - reducing the time required might make people think it is less important, rather than more important to isolate for any duration at all.

A bit like setting a speed limit at 20mph generally produces an average speed of 30mph, while in a 30mph zone many drive nearer 40.

If you set the guidance at 10 days people are far more likely to get a bit itchy after only a couple of days I would imagine. Whereas a 14 day requirement would see many more of them sticking it out until 10 days before faltering.

 

[mikeyB]

Still, with Cummings having been eliminated from the equation, we might start seeing some common sense from the government.

 

[Ljc]

Still, with Cummings having been eliminated from the equation, we might start seeing some common sense from the government.

I won’t hold my breath lol

 

[grovesy]

I won’t hold my breath lol

Neither do I read abook a while back about the collision goverment, and his shenigans then, when he still managed to pull strings in the background. Only time will tell.