Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government plans to advise people who had previously been shielding to do so again in response to increasing infection rates across the UK.

Shielding was paused on 1 August 2020 in England and clinically extremely vulnerable people are now required to follow the Local COVID Alert Level arrangements in place in their area. Advice has also been provided to the clinically extremely vulnerable to follow in addition to these measures.

It is important that guidance and support to the clinically extremely vulnerable balances the risk of exposure to the virus with the potential negative consequences on people’s mental and physical health caused by prolonged social and financial isolation.

In the future, we will only introduce shielding in the worst affected areas and this decision will be based on the latest evidence and on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer. The Government will write to those affected if they are being asked to shield.