Isolation after contact with Covid-19 case could be cut to seven days – study

People are told to self-isolate if they come into contact with someone with coronavirus. Picture: Zac Goodwin/PA

Self-isolation time after contact with a confirmed coronavirus case could potentially be reduced to seven days without raising the risk of onward transmission, a new study suggests.

The research, which accounts for infected people’s potential viral load and the sensitivity of Covid-19 tests, estimates people who test negative after seven days of quarantine are unlikely to be infectious.