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Those that are Covid asymptomatic may be able to quarantine for a shorter period of time, as the Government are expected to review the rules around testing and self-isolation.
In the plans, PCR testing would be shelved for anyone who gets a positive result from a lateral flow test but have no symptoms.
Here is a breakdown of everything you need to know...
Asymptomatic: What does it mean?
Simply put, someone that is Covid asymptomatic is a person who has Covid but is not displaying any of the symptoms.
The core symptoms of Covid are a new and continuous cough, a high temperature and a loss of taste or smell.
That said, many people have noted that the Omicron Covid variant may be manifesting difference symptoms. These include, a runny nose, sneezing, body ache, night sweats, back pain.
The advice is that you must do a lateral flow test if you experience any of the above symptoms.
But for many people, especially younger people, they experience no symptoms at all.
What are the changes being proposed to self-isolation?
If the Government go ahead with the plans to remove the need for asymptomatic to order a PCR test, that may reduce the amount of time required to isolate.
This is because taking a PCR test can hold up the official commencement of the isolation period. Under the current rules, someone has to wait for their PCR result before starting their isolation period.
What's sparked the change?
A combination of staff shortages and and pressure on PCR services explains the Government's plan to introduce this change.
Health Minister Gillian Keegan said 'around a million people' are isolating at the moment under the current rules.
'We don’t actually collect that data on a daily basis, but it’s obvious if you look at how many people tested positive yesterday, about 215,000, that they’ll all be self-isolating and obviously from the previous days,' she told Sky News.
'So it’s about a million people probably are self-isolating right now.'
