COVID: The latest rules explained if you test positive

These are the rules if you test positive for Covid as cases across the UK are on the rise this summer.

Transcript

00:00Hi, I'm health reporter Sarah McCann and today we are going to be talking about what the current

00:04rules are if you test positive for COVID. Despite it being summertime, cases of COVID are still on

00:12the rise, specifically in places like the UK, holiday destinations such as Greece and in

00:19Australia and the US. The strain of COVID that is really driving these cases is the flirt variant

00:27and there are also now sub variants including fluke which is really seeing an uprise in cases

00:33in Australia during their winter season. The new variants have similar symptoms to COVID strains

00:39of the past. If you develop a continuous cough, a high temperature or cold and flu-like symptoms

00:46like headache, sore throat, runny nose, aches and chills, fatigue, then it's really important that

00:52you take a COVID test. Despite it being summertime and there being lots of summer cold and flus

00:58and hay fever around, it's really vital that you know whether or not you test positive for COVID

01:03so you know about the next steps to take. The days of having to legally self-isolate are now over.

01:10Nowadays the government advises that if you test positive that you avoid people for five days after

01:15a positive test. This is to make sure that you do not infect anybody within your community and to

01:20keep those who may be vulnerable to COVID exposures safe. Some people will still have

01:26symptoms after the five days and some people are even infectious up until 10 days of a positive

01:31COVID test so it's important to regularly test if you have tested positive and to be mindful of the

01:36symptoms that you're experiencing and advice really generally does suggest that you stay home until

01:42you feel well enough to go about your daily business. If you are a child or under the age of 18, this

01:48guidance is different however. It's only advised that children or those under the age of 18 avoid

01:53people for three days. This is because children and young adults are believed to be less infectious to

02:00people. If you have an underlying health condition that makes you eligible for COVID treatments and

02:05you test positive for COVID, it's really important that you get in contact with your local health

02:10authority and register your test. Alternatively you can contact your GP or your hospital consultant

02:16who will then be able to help refer you to your COVID clinic to access COVID treatments.