Covid: We'll look at science of cutting isolation period - PM - BBC News
Boris Johnson says we have to ensure we "see off" the Omicron wave and adds testing remains vital.
A Whitehall source has denied the government is working on a plan for living with Covid in the long term. But there's speculation about what changes that might eventually entail.

The government has already said in its Autumn and Winter Covid plan for this year that one day lateral flow tests will have to be paid for by businesses and individuals that benefit from them, rather than by the taxpayer. But the source said ministers had not even made a decision about when such a decision might be needed.

Then there's the period you must isolate for if you have Covid. That's already come down from an automatic 10 days to seven if you test negative on the final two, after ministers asked the UK Health Security Agency to review the rule. But the UKHSA estimates there's a 10-30% chance than an individual could still be infectious on day six, so it's not coming down any further for now. That's why ministers who are enthusiastic about people being stuck home for less time say they would support a change if the science changed.

There are other questions, such as when does the government stop financial support for people who are isolating? You don't get a cheque if you've got a cold, the argument goes.

The PM's adviser-turned-enemy Dominic Cummings wrote in a blog post last week that the government had also failed to plan ahead for future variants.

These issues will come to a head in the build-up to 26 January when the measures implementing Plan B in England are due to expire. And again at the end of March when the legislation that underpins much of the response to Covid lapses, too.