Coronavirus: Self-isolation period in Wales reduced from 14 days to 10
9 December 2020, 00:14
The Covid-19 self-isolation period in Wales will be reduced from 14 days to 10 this week, the Welsh Government has announced.
Officials said the new time period, which starts on Thursday, had been endorsed by the country's chief medical officer Dr Frank Atherton.
New evidence suggests that the likelihood of being infectious as a contact after 10 days is lower than first thought - bringing more certainty to how the virus acts and transmits to other people.
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Minister for health and social services Vaughan Gething said: "We know that self-isolating is hard for people and we believe families, communities and business will welcome the announcement today to safely reduce the days in which people have to isolate.
"Self-isolation and quarantine play a key role in stopping the spread of the coronavirus and I want to thank everyone who continues to follow the rules and play their role in keeping Wales safe."
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The new self-isolation and quarantine advice will apply to people who have received a positive test result for Covid-19, those with symptoms and those awaiting a test result.
People living in households with someone who shows symptoms or tests positive are also required to self-isolate.
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Travellers returning from non-exempt countries also fall under the policy.
The NHS Covid-19 app's countdown timer - which keeps track of how long people need to self-isolate - will update for users in Wales to the new 10-day system from December 17.
