Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued on whether people should return to work after having had COVID-19 but without having taken a PCR test.

We have issued online guidance on 11 October which states that individuals who have COVID-19 symptoms should stay at home and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Anyone subsequently notified by NHS Test and Trace or local authority contact tracer that they have tested positive is legally required to self-isolate. Employees should notify their employer in such circumstances.

An individual can return to work, after the end of their self-isolation period if their symptoms have gone or if the only symptoms they have are a cough or anosmia, which can last for several weeks. There is no requirement to return a negative PCR test in order to end self-isolation. Individuals who still have a high temperature or are otherwise unwell should stay at home and seek medical advice.