Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the scientific reasoning is behind the Government’s policy of a person who is fully vaccinated against covid-19 still having to self-isolate if they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus.

Continuing with close contact isolation until 16 August 2021 will allow more time for people to receive their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Higher population immunity will mitigate against the small risk of onward transmission from fully vaccinated, but infected, close contacts. Maintaining contact self-isolation will contribute to transmission reduction and aligns with the principle of gradual resumption of pre-pandemic behaviours following step four of the roadmap.

The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies’ modelling suggests a period of extremely high prevalence of infection lasting until at least the end of August 2021, which increases exposure risk, even in vaccinated individuals. This modelling is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1001160/S1300_SAGE_93_minutes_Coronavirus__COVID-19__response__7_July_2021.pdf