Coronavirus: Do double-vaccinated people need to self-isolate if ‘pinged’ by NHS app?

The rules around self-isolation are set to change in the coming weeks as the government moves forward with the lifting of lockdown restrictions.

Millions of people have downloaded the NHS Covid-19 app during the pandemic, allowing the health service to easily notify people when they have been in close contact with a person who has tested positive for the virus.

Even people who have received two doses of a coronavirus vaccine can be told they need to self-isolate under current rules, but the government has announced this will soon change.

From 16 August, people will not have to self-isolate if they have received their second dose of a coronavirus vaccine at least two weeks prior to being “pinged” by the NHS app. There will be no legal requirement to isolate even if contacted by NHS Test and Trace. Under-18s are also set to be exempt from self-isolation if identified as a close contact.

From 19 July, travellers who are at least two weeks on from receiving a second vaccine dose will no longer have to quarantine on arrival to England from an amber list country. Under-18s will also be exempt from quarantine. All travellers will still have to complete a test before departing for England.

The gap between the change for fully vaccinated travellers and 16 August has raised concern that many people will delete the NHS app to avoid having to cancel their holidays.

However, transport secretary Grant Shapps said it was important that people continue to use the NHS app. “People should want to know if they have been in contact with somebody with coronavirus. You don't want to be spreading it around. It can still harm people,” he said on Friday.

The NHS Covid app may soon be made less sensitive to stop millions of people from being forced to self-isolate over the summer.

The head of the UK Health Security Agency Jenny Harries told MPs on Thursday that work was under way to decide whether smartphone notifications could be “tuned” differently to reduce numbers being “pinged” after a 60 per cent rise in the latest week.

The app currently determines close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus as having been within two metres of them for more than 15 minutes.

Mr Shapps said on Friday the app was under review to ensure it was “calibrated in the right way” to suit the circumstances.

“The medical experts will advise us on what the level of sensitivity should be relative to where we are, for example, to our vaccination programme overall,” he said.