Full list of jobs now exempt from self-isolation rules in England revealed
23 July 2021, 07:55 | Updated: 23 July 2021, 08:00
Now some workers will no longer have to isolate if they are contacted by the track and trace app.
A list of jobs will now be exempt from self isolation rules if they are double vaccinated and test negative for coronavirus.
The government has now published a list of key workers who are allowed to avoid the current rules amid concerns that there are major staff shortages across crucial sectors.
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While there is no list of exact roles, the Government has identified vital industries, which include:
- energy
- civil nuclear
- digital infrastructure
- food production and supply
- waste
- water
- veterinary
- medicines
- essential chemicals
- essential transport
- medicine
- medical devices
- clinical consumable supplies
- emergency services
- border control
- essential defence outputs
- local government
The rules apply in England, but not in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
According to the new guidance from ministers, there is no ‘blanket exception’, with officials clarifying: “in the small number of situations where the self-isolation of close contacts would result in serious disruption to critical services, a limited number of named workers may be able to leave self-isolation under specific controls for the purpose of undertaking critical work only".
Boris Johnson urges young people over the age of 18 to get vaccinated
The policy also states that employers who feel their workers need to be exempt from self-isolation should contact the relevant government department.
They will be asked to specify the number of people, their roles and why they should be exempt.
If this meets the criteria, the employer will then get a letter from the government, with up to 10,000 workers expected to qualify.
But they must have had two Covid vaccines and take a PCR test, as well as daily lateral flow tests.
Meanwhile, frontline NHS and social care staff have already been granted exemptions from self isolation.
As for the rest of the country, isolation for double-jabbed Brits is thought to end completely next month on August 16.
Iceland managing director highlights issues with HGV drivers as a result of 'pingdemic'
This comes after Iceland’s managing director, Richard Walker, said the supermarket was having to hire 2,000 temporary workers to deal with the ‘pingdemic’.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Mr Walker said: "Issues around supply chain have been building for quite some time.
“We have a structural issue with HGV drivers for a variety of different reasons. The pingdemic has made it even worse. The double pronged problem is that our store workers are now getting pinged as well.
"We have over 1,000 who have been pinged and are having to self isolate at home. The result of these two issues combined means that we are starting to see some availability issues.
“It is increasingly very challenging to keep our shops open, to keep lorries travelling to our shops, to keep food on our shelves and to keep staff in our shops to serve the customers."
