Public Health
Motion made, and Question proposed,
That the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions)
(Self-Isolation etc.) (Revocation) (England) Regulations 2022
(SI, 2022, No. 161), dated 22 February 2022, a copy of which was
laid before this House on 22 February, be approved.—(.)
6.50pm
(York Central)
(Lab/Co-op)
In the light of these really important regulations and the
protections they have provided for so long, I believe it is
important to scrutinise the Minister on how we will maintain
public safety as we move forward, in particular for vulnerable
groups who have had protections during the pandemic. For
instance, there is currently no guidance in place for visitors to
care homes or staff working in care homes. It would be helpful to
hear from the Minister how she is going to handle that, as well
as any outbreak of covid, and what forms of test and trace will
be in place to address those issues.
6.51pm
(Oldham East and
Saddleworth) (Lab)
The all-party parliamentary group on coronavirus took evidence
this morning from SAGE—the Scientific Advisory Group for
Emergencies—academics and clinicians. They were clear in their
concern that the living with coronavirus strategy does not
include what needs to happen. It tells us what needs to stop, but
it does not say what needs to happen. I am thinking particularly
about the surveillance of new variants and the impacts on the
communities that will be most detrimentally affected. Will the
Minister expand on how the Government will ensure they keep us
safe?
6.51pm
(Brighton, Pavilion)
(Green)
I was also at the all-party parliamentary group on coronavirus
evidence session this morning and the health experts were
unanimous in saying that to remove the restrictions around
self-isolation right now is premature. They were all concerned
about the impact it would have on the 3.7 million clinically
vulnerable people. If people cannot test and they are not
self-isolating, they may well sit next to somebody in a train
carriage who is extremely vulnerable. They will not know that
that person is extremely vulnerable and they will not be taking
any precautions.
We ought to ensure that we retain the requirement to
self-isolate. It is one of the most basic measures we have to
protect other people. When it comes to personal responsibility,
we do not say that, for example, speed limits are a question of
personal responsibility or that smoking in crowded places is a
personal responsibility, because they affect other people. That
is exactly the point with these regulations. Self-isolation is to
protect others and therefore simply relying on
self-responsibility is not enough.
6.52pm
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care ()
First, I would like to outline that the House has been asked to
revoke the legal requirements around self-isolation if one tests
positive for covid-19, including: the duty to self-isolate if one
tests positive, the duty to provide NHS Test and Trace with
details and contacts, the duty to notify an employer that one is
self-isolating, and the legal duty on employers to not knowingly
allow someone who is self-isolating to attend work. Rather than
relying on restrictions, we are encouraging people to act
responsibly and to follow the guidance that has been set out,
just as we would for any other respiratory condition.
To answer some of the specific questions raised by Opposition
Members, as announced on 21 February, we will continue to make
testing available for a small number of at-risk groups. We are
considering which groups will be eligible for tests after
provision for the general public ends. Tests are available until
the end of March. We will announce details as soon as we can.
That addresses the specific questions asked about people in
vulnerable settings.
As for how we are moving forward, the Government will retain
surveillance to monitor the virus, understand its evolution and
identify changes and new characteristics. That will enable the
Government to make informed decisions and respond accordingly.
The Government will prepare and maintain the capabilities to ramp
up testing and other tools such as laboratory infrastructure to
be used as the line of defence against new variants.
Finally, I remind the House that we have already sent out 1.3
million PCR tests to those who are clinically extremely
vulnerable, so that should they find that they have symptoms,
they can do an immediate PCR test, have priority and be able to
be prescribed antivirals as a matter of urgency.
Question put and agreed to.
