Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to shorten the period for which a care home restricts movements in and out of premises after it experiences a COVID-19 outbreak.

Restrictions of movement in and out of care home premises during a confirmed COVID-19 outbreak are informed by evidence from rounds of testing, including ‘recovery testing’. This usually takes place after there have been no new cases for 14 days or one maximum incubation period. For variants of concern (VOC), this period is extended to 28 days or two maximum incubation periods. This advice is kept under continuous review as the evidence emerges.

Omicron was originally identified as a ‘high priority’ VOC which led to restrictions on movement up to 28 days. However, following a review, the UK Health Security Agency advised on 7 January 2021 that the Omicron variant could be managed according to standard protocol for outbreaks, resulting in a reduction in the advised period of restriction to 14 days since the last test positive case.