Improve the railway first, then better links to London will come

From today (Monday), people self-isolating with COVID-19 can end their isolation period after five full days if they test negative on both day five and day six and do not have a temperature.

The law states that you must self-isolate for 10 days, however this change enables people who are not infectious, proven via two negative tests over two days, which can start from day 5, to leave isolation on day 6.

Individuals who are still positive on their lateral flow tests must stay in isolation until they have had two consecutive negative tests taken on separate days.

The first test must be taken no earlier than day five of the self-isolation period, and the second must be taken the following day.

The consecutive negative tests must be reported on gov.uk before individuals return to their job or education if leaving self-isolation earlier than the full 10 day period.

The government said it is crucial people isolating with COVID-19 wait until they have received two negative lateral flow tests on two consecutive days to reduce the chance of still being infectious.

The move is a bid to support essential public services and keep supply chains running over the winter.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Following a robust review of the evidence, we have reduced the minimum self-isolation period to five full days in England.

“This is a balanced and proportionate approach to restore extra freedoms and reduce the pressure on essential public services over the winter.

“It is crucial people only stop self-isolating after two negative tests to ensure you are not infectious.

“Vaccinations remain our best defence against COVID-19, offering significant protection against infection and hospitalisation – and I urge everybody eligible to take up the offer and Get Boosted Now.”

The self-isolation period was previously reduced from ending on day 10 to day 7, with a negative LFD result taken 24 hours apart on day 6 and 7 on 22 December 2021.

Under the 7-day testing approach, around 6% of people will be infectious when they are released from isolation on day 7 following two consecutive negative LFDs.

The new guidance to end self-isolation on day 6 with two consecutive negative lateral flow results, modelling from the UK Health Security Agency shows this figure will rise to around 7%.

If you leave isolation on day 6, after 5 full days of isolation, between 20% and 30% of people are still infectious. The percentage of those released whilst infectious is reduced to around 7% if people have two consecutive negative tests and then leave isolation from day 6.

Lincolnshire Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage following a two-vehicle collision in which a 12-year-old boy sadly died.

Following a call to police at 9.48am today (16 January), officers attended the B1190 at Bardney.

The collision involved two vehicles: a silver Mercedes-Benz A220 and a silver Ford Galaxy.

The 12-year-old boy, a passenger in the Galaxy, was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Mercedes, a man, has been taken to hospital. The status of his injuries is currently unknown.

Update, 6pm: All road closures have now been lifted. No one else involved in the collision is believed to have sustained any life-threatening nor life-altering injuries.

If you saw the collision, or have information, you can contact police in one of the following ways:

• Call 101, quoting Incident 141 of 16 January.
• Email [email protected] putting “Incident 141 of 16 January” in the subject line.
• Call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Reference: Incident 141 of 16 January

North East Lincolnshire’s MPs have stood by the Prime Minister after he apologised for breaking rules by attending a lockdown party.

Grimsby MP Lia Nici dismissed calls for him to resign, saying ‘nobody is perfect’, and Cleethorpes MP Martin Vickers said it was the wrong time to call a leadership contest.

Boris Johnson admitted this week he went to a ‘bring your own booze’ party in the first Covid lockdown.

He has apologised for the decision, saying he believed it was work related but regretted it in hindsight.

Although opposition MPs have called for him to resign, Lia Nici, Martin Vickers and other Tories have stood by him for now.

However, the Cleethorpes MP said the party was ‘irresponsible and reckless’.

“He was certainly right to apologise, and the party in question shouldn’t have taken place,” Mr Vickers said.

“I share the anger and frustration of my constituents at these events and it does appear that lockdown rules were broken. That is irresponsible, reckless and unacceptable and disciplinary action, and possibly prosecutions should follow.

“It begs the question of how it got to the stage of the events taking place. Senior figures should have realised that this was wrong and the event should never have got off the ground.”

Grimsby MP Lia Nici (Conservative)

Grimsby MP Lia Nici also welcomed his apology for breaking the rules.

“I think it’s a positive thing that he has apologised for being outside in that garden on that day in 2020,” she said.

“He clearly wanted to thank staff who have been working hard under under Covid rules. Was it advisable to thank them that way though?

“It certainly would have been safer than inside, but the email from the civil servant telling employees to ‘Bring Your Own Booze’ is concerning.

“People are quite rightly upset about it. Everyone should have been following rules that the public were abiding by.”

A probe into the parties is now being carried out by civil servant Sue Gray.

Neither MP joined the Labour party in calling for Mr Johnson to quit – but said the report should come out quickly.

Cleethorpes MP Martin Vickers (Conservative) | Photo: Steve Smailes for Lincolnshire Reporter

Mr Vickers said: “My colleagues and I need to consider what’s in the best interest of the country. A leadership contest would paralyse the country while we’re managing the pandemic and a volatile international situation.

“The last thing we want is a complete vacuum of power at the centre of government for six weeks.

“We should wait for Sue Gray’s report into the parties that is being prepared.”

Mrs Nici said: “Nobody is perfect. The Prime Minister is a good man who wants to do the right thing for the UK and Grimsby.

“We need to focus on where we’re going – not having the national media fixated on today.

“However, as a manager and a leader myself, I can say we need to see the report sooner rather than later. If people have intentionally been breaking the rules then there should be disciplinary action.”

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If the report finds that Johnson broke rules, it could convince Conservative backbenchers to trigger a leadership contest overthrow him.

Mr Johnson said he hadn’t realised he was at a party and “bitterly regrets” that way that it was handled.

Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer said that Mr Johnson’s denials were “so ridiculous it’s actually offensive” to the public at a heated Prime Minister’s Questions.