If you have COVID-19 symptoms or a positive LFD or PCR test result
If you develop any of the main symptoms of COVID-19, stay at home and self-isolate immediately.
If you have a positive LFD or PCR test result but do not have any of the main symptoms of COVID-19, stay at home and self-isolate as soon as you receive the results. You should do this even if you have received one or more doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
Other people in your household might need to self-isolate too. Please see section below for information on what the other members of your household need to do.
Order a PCR test if you have any of the main symptoms of COVID-19
If you have any of the main symptoms of COVID-19, arrange to have a PCR test by ordering it online or by calling 119. You do not need to take a PCR test if you have already taken an LFD test and the result was positive.
You should stay at home while you are waiting for a home test kit, a test site appointment or a test result. You can leave your home in a few specific circumstances, but do not go to work, school, or public areas and do not use public transport or taxis. See the circumstances in which you can leave home.
If you need to leave your home to get to a test site, wear a well-fitting face covering made with multiple layers, stay at least 2 metres apart from other people who you do not live with, and return home immediately afterwards.
Stay at home and self-isolate
Stay at home and self-isolate if you have any of the main symptoms of COVID-19 or if you have a positive LFD or PCR test result. Self-isolation will help protect your family, friends and the wider community by reducing the risk that you will pass the infection on to others.
Your self-isolation period starts immediately from when your symptoms started, or, if you do not have any symptoms, from when your positive LFD or PCR test was taken, whichever test was taken first. Your self-isolation period includes the day your symptoms started (or the day your test was taken if you do not have symptoms), and the next 10 full days. It may be possible to end your self-isolation earlier (see below).
This means that if, for example, your symptoms started at any time on the 15th of the month (or if you did not have symptoms but your first positive COVID-19 test was taken on the 15th), your self-isolation period ends at 23:59hrs on the 25th of the month.
You can return to your normal routine and stop self-isolating after 10 full days if your symptoms have gone, or if the only symptoms you have are a cough or anosmia, which can last for several weeks. If you still have a high temperature after 10 days or are otherwise unwell, stay at home and seek medical advice.
You may be able to end your self-isolation period before the end of the 10 full days. You can take an LFD test from 5 days after the day your symptoms started (or the day your test was taken if you did not have symptoms), and another LFD test on the following day. If both these test results are negative, and you do not have a high temperature, you may end your self-isolation after the second negative test result.
Report your LFD test results after taking each test.
You should not take an LFD test before the fifth day of your self-isolation period, and you should only end your self-isolation after you have had 2 negative LFD tests taken on consecutive days. You should stop testing after you have had 2 consecutive negative test results.
This guidance also applies to children and young people who usually attend an education or childcare setting.
You will be unable to use either your domestic or travel NHS COVID Pass for 10 days following a positive test result.
Examples of when to end self-isolation if you have had COVID-19 symptoms or have received a positive COVID-19 test result
Visitors to your household
If you have symptoms of COVID-19, or a positive LFD or PCR test result, do not invite or allow social visitors to enter your home, including friends and family. If you want to speak to someone who is not a member of your household, use the phone, email or social media.
If you or a family member receive essential care in your home, carers should continue to visit and follow the provision of home care guidance to reduce the risk of infection.
All non-essential in-house services and repairs should be postponed until the self-isolation period is completed. Delivery drivers should not come into your home, so make sure you ask them to leave items outside for collection.
If you have a negative COVID-19 PCR test result after being tested because you had symptoms of COVID-19
If your PCR test result is negative but you still have symptoms, you may have another viral illness such as a cold, flu or a stomach bug. You should stay at home until you feel well and for at least 2 more days if you have had diarrhoea or vomiting. Seek medical attention if you are concerned about your symptoms.
You can stop self-isolating unless you have been advised by NHS Test and Trace that you are legally required to self-isolate. Anyone in your household who is self-isolating because of your symptoms can also stop self-isolating.
Testing after your self-isolation period has ended
If you have previously had COVID-19, you will probably have developed some immunity to the disease. However, it cannot be guaranteed that everyone will develop immunity, or how long it will last. It is also possible for PCR tests to remain positive for some time after the period of active COVID-19 infection.
If you have previously received a positive COVID-19 test result, you are advised not to take another PCR test within 90 days of this result unless you develop any new main symptoms of COVID-19, or if you are required to take a PCR test upon entry into the UK.
If you have a positive PCR test result within 90 days of a previous positive test result you must stay at home, self-isolate and follow the steps in this guidance again.
If it is more than 90 days since you tested positive by PCR for COVID-19, and you have new symptoms of COVID-19, or a positive PCR test, follow the steps in this guidance again.
If you live in the same household as someone with COVID-19
Follow separate guidance if you have had contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 but do not currently live in the same household as them.
Anyone who has any of the main symptoms of COVID-19 should stay at home and, self-isolate immediately. They should order a PCR test unless they have already taken an LFD test and the result was positive.
If you do not have symptoms of COVID-19 and live in the same household as someone with COVID-19, you are legally required to self-isolate unless you meet any of the following conditions:
- you are fully vaccinated – fully vaccinated means you have had 2 doses of an approved vaccine such as Pfizer BioNTech, AstraZeneca or Spikevax (formerly Moderna); you are also fully vaccinated if you have had one dose of the single-dose Janssen vaccine
- you are aged under 18 years
- you have taken part in or are currently part of an approved COVID-19 vaccine trial
- you are not able to get vaccinated for medical reasons
If you meet any of these 4 conditions (and are therefore not legally required to self-isolate), follow the guidance further down for contacts who are not legally required to self-isolate.
Household contacts who are required to self-isolate
If you have been notified by NHS Test and Trace because you live in the same household as someone with COVID-19, and you are aged over 18 years and not fully vaccinated, you are legally required to self-isolate. This does not apply if you have taken part in or are currently part of an approved COVID-19 vaccine trial or you are not able to get vaccinated for medical reasons. Do not go to work, school, or public areas and do not use public transport or taxis.
Your self-isolation period includes the day the first person in your household’s symptoms started (or the day their test was taken if they did not have symptoms) and the next 10 full days. This means that if, for example, your 10 day self-isolation period starts on the 15th of the month, your self-isolation period ends at 23:59 hrs on the 25th and you can return to your normal routine.
You may be entitled to a payment of £500 from your local authority under the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme. If you are the parent or guardian of a child who has been told to self-isolate, you may also be entitled to this payment.
Failure to comply with self-isolation may result in a fine, starting from £1,000. Parents or guardians are legally responsible for ensuring that anyone under 18 self-isolates if they test positive for COVID-19 and are contacted by NHS Test and Trace and told to self-isolate.
Take a PCR test
You are advised to take a single PCR test as soon as possible while you are self-isolating. You should take this PCR test because you are at a higher risk of being infected. The results of the PCR test will help NHS Test and Trace contact people who may have caught the virus from you and advise them on what to do.
If your PCR test result during your self-isolation period is negative, you must continue to self-isolate as you could still become infectious and pass the infection on to others. Stay at home for the full 10 days to avoid putting others at risk.
If your PCR test result is positive, follow the advice for people with COVID-19 to stay at home. You must start a new self-isolation period, regardless of where you are in your original 10 day self-isolation period. This means that your total self-isolation period may be longer than 10 days.
If you have previously tested positive for COVID-19, you will probably have developed some immunity to the disease. However, it cannot be guaranteed that everyone will develop immunity, or how long it will last. It is possible for PCR tests to remain positive for some time after COVID-19 infection.
If you have previously received a positive COVID-19 test result within the last 90 days and you are identified as a contact of someone with COVID-19 you should not take a PCR test unless you develop any of the main symptoms of COVID-19.
If you develop symptoms while you are self-isolating as a contact
If you live in the same household as someone with COVID-19 and you develop any of the main symptoms of COVID-19 while you are self-isolating, you should arrange to have a COVID-19 PCR test. If your test result is positive, follow the advice for people with COVID-19 to stay at home. You must start a new self-isolation period. This begins when your symptoms started, regardless of where you are in your original 10 day self-isolation period. This means that your total self-isolation period may be longer than 10 days.
If this PCR test result is negative, you must continue to self-isolate as you could still become infectious and pass the infection on to others. Stay at home for the full 10 days to avoid putting others at risk.
If other household members develop symptoms during this period, you do not need to isolate for longer than 10 days.
Household contacts who are not required to self-isolate
If you live in the same household as someone with COVID-19 you are at significantly higher risk of becoming infected yourself.
If you are fully vaccinated or aged under 18 years, and you live in the same household as someone with COVID-19, you are not legally required to self-isolate. You are also not legally required to self-isolate if you have taken part in or are currently part of an approved COVID-19 vaccine trial or you are not able to get vaccinated for medical reasons.
COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of you becoming severely ill if you catch COVID-19. If you are vaccinated against COVID-19 you may still catch it and pass it on to others, even if you do not have any symptoms.
LFD tests are very good at identifying people who have high levels of coronavirus and are most likely to pass on infection to others, even if you do not have symptoms. You are therefore strongly advised to take daily LFD tests during the period you are at highest risk of becoming infected yourself.
If you are aged 5 years and over and live in the same household as someone with COVID-19, and are not legally required to self-isolate, you are strongly advised to:
- take an LFD test every day for 7 days, or until 10 days after the household member who has COVID-19 started their self-isolation period if this is earlier
- take this daily LFD test before you leave your home for the first time that day
- report your LFD test results after taking each test – reporting positive LFD test results means that NHS Test and Trace can get in touch with your contacts and advise them on what to do; reporting negative LFD test results helps us understand more about the spread of COVID-19
If you take an LFD test and the result is positive, you should immediately self-isolate to prevent you from passing the infection on to other people and follow the advice for people who have COVID-19. You do not need to take a follow-up PCR test.
If your daily LFD test result is negative, it is likely that you were not infectious at the time the test was taken. To further reduce the chance of passing COVID-19 on to others, you are strongly advised:
- to limit close contact with other people outside your household, especially in crowded, enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces
- to work from home if you are able to
- in addition to venues where it is a legal requirement, to wear a face covering in crowded, enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces and where you are in close contact with other people
- to limit contact with anyone who is at higher risk of severe illness if infected with COVID-19
- to follow the guidance on how to stay safe and help prevent the spread of COVID-19
If you are unable to take a daily LFD test then you are still strongly advised to follow this advice to reduce the chance of passing COVID-19 on to others.
Follow this advice until the household member who has COVID-19 reaches the end of their self-isolation period.
If you are a health or social care worker who has been identified as a household contact and are exempt from self-isolation, there is additional guidance available that you should follow to reduce the risk of spread of COVID-19 in these settings.
Children and young people aged under 18 years who usually attend an education or childcare setting and who have been identified as a close contact should continue to attend the setting as normal.
Regular LFD tests are not recommended for children aged under 5. If they live with someone who has COVID-19 they are not legally required to self-isolate but you should limit their contact with anyone who is at higher risk of severe illness if infected with COVID-19 and arrange for them to take a PCR test as soon as possible.
If you develop symptoms at any time, even if these are mild, stay at home and self-isolate immediately, arrange to have a COVID-19 PCR test and follow the guidance for people with COVID-19 symptoms.
