Nearly two million people a week could be forced to self- isolate by the end of the month unless ministers reform the rules.
About 400,000 were instructed to quarantine last week by Test and Trace staff – or their NHS Covid app.
Under the current system, they are told to isolate for ten days because they have come into contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus.
Analysis of official figures predicts that this figure will soar to 1,734,000 by July 28 if current trends continue, given the steep week-on-week rise in cases and the popularity of the NHS’s smartphone app.
Nearly two million people a week could be forced to self- isolate by the end of the month unless ministers reform the rules (stock photo)
MPs, business chiefs and even health leaders have called for the ten-day rule to be changed, given that many of those forced into quarantine have been vaccinated.
Campaigners want the isolation period to be replaced with daily testing, or even scrapped for those who have been received two Covid jabs.
The hospitality industry has complained of severe staff shortages as a result of the current rules, which threaten to cause wider chaos across the economy and the NHS.
Schools have also been hard-hit, with thousands of children sent home as a result of positive Covid tests within their class ‘bubble’.
Ministers have considered plans to allow those who have had both jabs to take daily tests instead, but any changes are unlikely to be ready for Freedom Day on July 19.
Analysis of official figures predicts that this figure will soar to 1,734,000 by July 28 if current trends continue, given the steep week-on-week rise in case and high levels of testing
MPs last year made it a legal duty to self-isolate if you are contacted by the Test and Trace programme.
In addition, millions were encouraged to download the NHS Covid-19 app, which notifies users if they have been in close proximity to someone confirmed to have the virus and urges them to isolate.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics and the NHS suggest that the numbers self-isolating
