Updates for residents
'Living with COVID' plan
As of Thursday 24 February, domestic COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted.
This means:
- the legal requirement to self-isolate after testing positive for COVID-19 has ended, but people are still advised to stay at home and avoid contact with other people
- fully vaccinated contacts of positive COVID-19 cases are no longer asked to test for seven days
- the legal requirement for close contacts who are not fully vaccinated to self-isolate has been removed
- routine contact tracing has ended and you will no longer be contacted by NHS Test and Trace to inform you if you were near someone who tested positive for COVID
As of 24 March:
- you will no longer be able to claim statutory sick pay for testing positive for COVID-19
As of 1 April, the government has:
- ended free universal PCR (symptomatic) and LFT (symptom free) testing for the general public in England, find more information on how to access COVID-19 testing
- removed the current guidance on voluntary COVID-status certification in domestic settings and no longer recommend that certain venues use the NHS COVID Pass
- removed the health and safety requirement for every employer to explicitly consider COVID-19 in their risk assessments
- advised that if you have symptoms of a respiratory infection, including COVID-19, and a high temperature or if you feel unwell, to try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people, until you feel well enough to resume normal activities and you no longer have a high temperature
As of 1 April, if you have symptoms of a respiratory infection, including COVID-19, and a high temperature or if you feel unwell, please try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people, until you feel well enough to resume normal activities and you no longer have a high temperature.
Symptoms of COVID-19, flu and common respiratory infections include:
- continuous cough
- high temperature, fever or chills
- loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell
- shortness of breath
- unexplained tiredness, lack of energy
- muscle aches or pains that are not due to exercise
- not wanting to eat or not feeling hungry
- headache that is unusual or longer lasting than usual
- sore throat, stuffy or runny nose
- diarrhoea, feeling sick or being sick
If you have any of these symptoms, it is particularly important to avoid close contact with anyone you know who is at higher risk of becoming seriously unwell if they were to develop infection especially those whose immune system means that they are at higher risk of serious illness, despite vaccination.
As of 1 April, if you have a positive COVID-19 test result please try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for five days, which is when you are most infectious. You should also avoid meeting people who at higher risk of becoming seriously unwell from COVID-19 for 10 days after the day you took a test to make sure that you are no longer infectious.
Please visit GOV.UK for more information
Current travel testing requirements
The remaining COVID-19 international travel restrictions for all passengers have been removed as of 4am, Friday 18 March.
This means:
- All COVID-19 travel restrictions have been lifted, including the passenger locator form for arrivals into UK, as well as all tests for passengers who do not qualify as vaccinated.
- Unvaccinated passengers no longer need to take a pre-departure test and a day 2 post arrival test.
While there are no border health measures on arrival in the UK as of 18 March, travellers should continue to check GOV.UK travel guidance and advice to keep up to date with other countries’ entry requirements.
Find out more about the changes on the GOV.UK website
How to stay safe and help prevent the spread of COVID-19
As we learn to live with COVID-19, please continue to follow these steps to protect yourselves and others:
- get fully vaccinated
- get your COVID-19 booster vaccination when eligible
- try to stay at home if you’re feeling unwell
- let fresh air in if you meet indoors, meeting outdoors is safer
- wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces
- wash your hands regularly or use hand sanitiser when out and about
Read the full guidance on GOV.UK
Find out more on keeping yourself and others healthy and safe
Find information for Westminster businesses
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