From today you might get a call from the NHS telling you to isolate for 14 days

From today, Thursday May 28th, you could get a call from the NHS telling you to self-isolate for 14 days, even if you have no symptoms.

This is because the government’s new track and trace rules are now in effect, in a bid to control the spread of coronavirus.

The Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, said self isolation was our ‘civic duty’ at yesterday’s briefing, adding that it could be made mandatory if people don’t obey it, the Liverpool Echo reports. 

Mr Hancock said: “If you are contacted by NHS track and trace instructing you to isolate you must it is your civic duty so you avoid unknowingly spreading the virus and you break the chain of transmission.

“This is voluntary at first because we trust people to do the right thing but we can make it mandatory if necessary.”

He continued: “From 9am tomorrow in addition if you are contacted by an NHS track and trace adviser advising you you must isolate you must do that if you have symptoms or not.”

If you have symptoms, you must self-isolate then ask for a Covid-19 test, before working with a track and trace adviser to list the people you’ve been in contact with recently, who will then get a phone call and be asked to isolate regardless of symptoms.

According to Baroness Harding, who led the track and trace project, people must isolate themselves for 14 days, although members of their family won’t have to if no one has symptoms. 

Mr Hancock added: “If you have symptoms you must isolate immediately and get yourself a test. Yesterday 2,013 people tested positive and the next step is through contact tracing, like detectives, the NHS clinician and the person who tested positive work together to trace the possible movements of the virus.”