House of Commons · Written Ministerial Statement
Covid-19 Update
27 January 2022 · Department of Health and Social Care
Proposed by Sajid Javid Con Bromsgrove
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
At a glance
Key points
- UK government announces end of Plan B measures on January 31st due to high vaccination rates and declining infections.
- Care homes will no longer have nationally-set visiting restrictions and isolation periods for residents are being shortened.
- Adult social care staff will switch from weekly PCR tests to daily lateral flow tests for asymptomatic testing. PCR tests will still be used for symptomatic cases and outbreaks.
Issue summary
The UK government is announcing the end of Plan B measures due to successful vaccination rates and reduced infections.
Action requested
From January 31st, care homes will no longer have nationally-set visiting restrictions, isolation periods for residents are being shortened, and adult social care staff will undergo daily lateral flow testing instead of weekly PCR tests. Regular asymptomatic testing is changing but PCR remains available for symptomatic cases and outbreak scenarios.
Key facts
- From Monday 31st January, there will no longer be nationally-set direct restrictions on visiting in care homes.
- Isolation periods for residents who test positive or are close contacts have been reduced to a maximum of 10 days.
- Adult social care staff will undergo daily lateral flow testing before work and weekly PCR testing is removed.