People in England who are fully vaccinated will not have to self-isolate if identified as a contact from August 16, nearly a month after restrictions on social mixing were lifted and at a time when cases have soared.

Alongside the measures to protect food supplies, the Government published guidance on Thursday night setting out limited exemptions for other critical workers.

Employees providing critical services would only be able to keep working and avoid self-isolation after being identified as a contact if they were named on a list kept updated by officials.

The exemptions – mainly in 16 sectors including essential transport, the emergency services and energy industry – will allow people identified as contacts by NHS Test and Trace or the app to carry on working if their failure to do so would have a “major detrimental impact” or risk national security.

The policy only applies to named workers who are fully vaccinated and it is not a “blanket exemption” for all employees in a sector – for instance, while railway signal operators on whom the network depends may be given an exemption, individual train drivers are unlikely to be.

Officials will “agree the roles and workplaces that are likely to meet the criteria” for the self-isolation exemption “on a daily basis”.

“Where a specific case meets the criteria, the employer will receive a letter from the relevant department setting out the named critical workers designated and telling them what measures they and those workers need to follow,” the guidance said.

But it adds that “in some exceptional cases” there may be critical roles in other sectors which could be agreed on a case-by-case basis.

Separate arrangements are in place for frontline health and care staff.

Hannah Essex, from the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “While the announcement of a process which may exempt select critical workers from self-isolation in England will be a relief to some businesses, it will leave many more still facing critical staff shortages and lost revenue as the number of people being asked to isolate remains high.”

Confederation of British Industry director general Tony Danker said: “The current approach to self-isolation is closing down the economy rather than opening it up.”

Businesses have already exhausted contingency plans to get in extra staff and are “at risk of grinding to a halt in the next few weeks”, he said.

The guidance lists 16 sectors: 

  • Energy
  • Civil nuclear
  • Digital infrastructure
  • Food production and supply
  • Waste
  • Water
  • Veterinary medicines
  • Essential chemicals
  • Essential transport
  • Medicines
  • Medical devices
  • Clinical consumable supplies
  • Emergency services
  • Border control
  • Essential defence 
  • Local government

 

Lancashire Telegraph: