20/09/2022

On Friday 1 July 2022, following a review, the Northern Ireland Department of Health confirmed changes to the self-isolation periods and confirmed the current position with regards to testing and availability of free Lateral Flow tests (LFD) tests.

Currently LFD tests are available to the general public who have COVID-19 symptoms. Tests also remain available to smaller groups of people without symptoms, such as health and social care staff.

The Department of Health has confirmed that LFD tests will remain free and available for a further month until end of July 2022.  This is partly due to the current rise in number of persons with covid symptoms.

However self-isolation periods following a positive COVID-19 test, or from the day symptoms started, have now been reduced to:

• 5 days for adults;
• 3 days for children under 18 years old (as they tend to be less infectious than adults).

Whilst the self-isolation period has been reduced, it is recommended that for the full 10 days, persons should avoid:

• contact with vulnerable individuals;
• visiting care homes, hospitals & other health and social care settings.

Testing to end isolation is now no longer advised. Contact tracing by the Public Health Agency for general population has also been phased out over the past couple of months and the service has now been formally stood down from 30 June 2022.

The reduction to the self-isolation periods may help Organisations return employees to the workplace earlier. However, Organisations should review their risk assessment particularly if the number of cases within the workplace rise and ensure that adequate measures are put in place to keep those vulnerable employees safe.

See further details here