5 days from the day AFTER you test positive followed by 2 consecutive negative results 24hrs apart, ( if still positive then rolls over till 2 negative) HOWEVER there is a tendency with this strain (which people are confusing as a bad cold or hayfever) for some of the symptoms to last quite some time. People are feeling better and that they have their energy back, but then realise they don’t have sufficient oxygen/ stamina to do the simple tasks, so it is affecting people in different ways. People can go to work if they have Covid, but it hasn’t went down well with others at work as the severity of symptoms can vary from person to person… and that includes the fully vaccinated.
The fact people are treating symptoms as colds or hayfever means fewer people are testing so it’s spreading like wildfire, as even the basic precautions are not being taken. On the other hand people who do have these symptoms and are testing are getting negative results maybe for at least 4 days before a positive shows up, so they either think they’re ok and don’t retest ( given that you have to pay for them now) and that’s why this situation is escalating. More and more people who are testing positive this time on LF tests are not registering it, so even though it’s being pointed out by the media that it is rising significantly, it is by no means anywhere near the figures outed by government. Understandable they want everything back to normal, and people will do what they want to do now, be it cautious or toss it! and maybe partly down to BJs attitude when it was at its height. Either way people will get on with their lives, with their own rules and common sense.