The minimum COVID-19 self-isolation in England will be cut to five days from seven if someone tests negative twice.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said this on Thursday, a move that could reduce staffing disruption in businesses and infrastructure.
"We've made the decision to reduce the minimum self-isolation period to five full days in England," Javid told parliament.
"From Monday, people can test twice before they go, leaving isolation at the start of day six," he added.
Swiss face painful task of identifying victims of deadly fire
Investigators on Friday set about the painful task of identifying the burned bodies of a blaze that engulfed a crowded bar and killed around 40 people at a New Year's Eve party in the upscale Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana.
Contaminated water kills 9 and hospitalises 200 in India's Indore city
At least nine people have died and more than 200 have been hospitalised in the central Indian city of Indore after a diarrhoea outbreak that officials said was linked to contaminated drinking water, according to a lawmaker and local health authorities.
Several reported killed in Iran protests
Several people were killed during unrest in Iran, Iranian media and rights groups said on Thursday, as the biggest protests to hit the country for three years over worsening economic conditions sparked violence in several provinces.
New York Mayor Mamdani vows to enact democratic socialist agenda
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North Korea leader Kim Jong Un's daughter makes public visit to state mausoleum
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's daughter, Ju Ae, who is likely being prepared as his successor, accompanied her parents on her first public visit to the Kumsusan mausoleum to pay respects to former leaders, state media photos published on Friday showed.
