UK coronavirus self-isolation period reduced to 10 days

All four of the UK’s chief medical officers have said that people will only have to self-isolate for 10 days instead of 14 if they come into contact with a confirmed case of coronavirus.

The changes come in from Monday and also apply to travellers having to quarantine after returning to the UK.

By the end of Wednesday, 8,210 people were vaccinated for coronavirus  in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Figures are not yet available for England – though the government says the number vaccinated so far is “in the tens of thousands”.

There were 21,672 new cases reported in the last 24 hours and 424 more people have died. The total number of people who have died from Covid 19 is now 63,506.