BRITS pinged for contact with someone who’s got Covid will still be asked to wear face masks after self-isolation rules are axed.
Ministers want people to carry on covering up and limiting who they meet even if they’re double-jabbed.
The new advice has been released ahead of the binning of England’s damaging quarantine rules on Monday.
It’s hoped the move will bring an end to the devastating Pingdemic which has battered businesses and threatened food supplies.
The fresh guidance means there will be five main scenarios in which Brits will need to carry on masking up.
People who have got symptoms of Covid are still being asked to don a face covering if they have to go out.
Many public transport firms, like train providers and Transport for London, are also insisting on masks as a condition of carriage.
And medical settings including hospitals, GP surgeries, and dentists insist on patients using them.
Any public venue like pubs, restaurants, and supermarkets can ask their customers to wear a mask and can refuse service to those who don’t.
But as of Freedom Day last month there are no longer any legal powers to force people to use them, or to punish those who refuse.
Pingdemic plan
From next week double-jabbed adults and under 18s will be able to carry on as normal if they’ve been in contact with someone who tested positive.
They are being advised to get a PCR test, but doing so will not be a legal requirement.
Everyone alerted by Test and Trace will also be asked to wear a mask in enclosed spaces and limit their contact with others.
But they will not be ordered to isolate inside for up to ten days — and do not even need to wait until their PCR result comes back.
More than three-quarters of the population are now double-vaccinated.
Anyone who has virus symptoms should still self-isolate and get a test as normal — and anyone who tests positive will be legally bound to stay inside.
Dr Jenny Harries, of the UK Health Security Agency, said: “Although two doses of vaccine will greatly reduce your own risk of becoming unwell with Covid, it is still possible to contract the virus and pass it to others.
“So if you develop symptoms at any time — vaccinated or not — you should get a test.”
The NHS app is to be updated to fit in with the new regulations.
Most double-jabbed health and social care staff who are close contacts of cases will be able to routinely return to work, provided they have had a negative PCR.
They should still take daily lateral flow tests as a precaution however.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Asking the close contacts of people with Covid-19 to isolate has played a critical role in helping us get this virus under control.
“Millions of people across the UK have made enormous sacrifices by doing this.
“Getting two doses of a vaccine has tipped the odds in our favour and allowed us to safely reclaim our lost freedoms, and from Monday we can take another huge step back towards our normal lives.”
