Business boss applauds end of self-isolation rules for providing 'boost' to Derbyshire firms

From August 16, people in England who have had two Covid-19 vaccines will no longer be required to isolate if they come into contact with someone who has contracted the virus and instead are advised to take a PCR test.

The move will reduce the number of people being forced to quarantine and is expected to ease the disruption on businesses, as many companies in Derbyshire had to reduce their opening hours or close entirely for periods of time after a number of their workers were ‘pinged’ by the NHS Covid app.

Scott Knowles, the chief executive of East Midlands Chamber, has praised the relaxation in coronavirus rules which he says will help businesses across Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to ‘fully recover’ from the impact of the crisis and the ‘pingdemic’ which stifled growth after most measures were eased in July.

“Today’s changes to the test and trace system are another important step towards normality and will finally give businesses the much-needed certainty they need if they are to fully recover”, he said.

“While the removal of almost all restrictions on businesses last month was a landmark moment in our battle against coronavirus, the so-called ‘pingdemic’ caused huge issues for companies that found themselves under-staffed and receiving cancellations from customers.

“The desensitisation of the NHS Covid-19 app and exempting some key workers from the self-isolation requirements helped some businesses but many industries that weren’t included have had to struggle on.”

The business boss added that companies across the region are now looking to fully reopen and “make up for lost time”.

Scott continued: “Removing the requirement for double-vaccinated people to self-isolate means we are now arriving at a crucial point in the pandemic as we move from state-mandated rules to personal responsibility, which is what businesses have wanted to see for a long time.

“As our latest Quarterly Economic Survey for Q2 2021 demonstrated, confidence in the East Midlands has bounced back strongly and it’s clear businesses now want to grasp the opportunity of a fully open and functioning economy with both hands to make up for lost time.”

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