The pledge to lift isolation rules for double-vaccinated people who are close contacts of a Covid case on 16 August may not go ahead, a minister has warned.
Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, said no final decision would be taken until a week before that date – adding he was keeping his “fingers crossed”.
Downing Street fuelled confusion about the government’s plans by declining to say whether or not the cabinet minister was correct and refusing to offer a guarantee that the new exemption for double-jabbed people come into effect on 16 August.
Instead, a No 10 spokesperson simply pointed out that both Boris Johnson and health secretary Sajid Javid had previously said that the current regime would come to an end on that date.
The 16 August timetable had already been attacked as an unnecessary delay, coming 5 weeks after all other Covid rules were lifted and blamed for the “pingdemic” of mass isolation of workers.
But, asked if it would “definitely go ahead”, Mr Kwarteng said: “We always review the information a week before and then we make the decision.”
He told Sky News: “I think, a week before 16 August, we will be able to make a decision as to whether the restriction will be lifted” – later adding it was a case of “fingers crossed”.
The No 10 spokesman was unable to confirm whether there would be a formal review a week ahead of the planned lifting of self-isolation rules, as was the case for the four steps out of lockdown set out in the prime minister’s roadmap. On one occasion, this review led to a further extension of restrictions, with the final removal of curbs delayed from 21 June to 19 July.
Mr Kwarteng also performed a U-turn over the promised list of critical workers who will be exempt from the isolation rules before 16 August – amid criticism of a delay.
No 10 provoked anger by saying firms would have to apply to be included, but the business secretary – after first refusing to give a date for an announcement – said it would come today.
He also said a list of qualifying jobs would be published by the government, instead of departments considering whether companies were eligible.
But, he told BBC Breakfast: “The list, I think, will be quite narrow, it will be very narrow, simply because we don’t want to get into a huge debate about who is exempt.”
Downing Street said that the guidance would offer advice to companies on what sort of posts might be eligible for exemptions from self-isolation and how they should go about applying for it.
Mr Kwarteng also said he is “very concerned” about shortages on supermarket shelves – because of absent workers – saying: “Clearly, in some places that is happening.”
