New Covid-19 rules: 'I'm not isolating at Christmas now'

In England, new rules mean some people who test positive for Covid can now end self-isolation after just seven days.

You can leave isolation if you test negative on lateral flow tests on day six and seven, and have no symptoms.

It means some people who thought they would be in isolation on Christmas Day will now be allowed out before then.

Provided he tests negative on Thursday, Alex Morgan will be out for Christmas Eve, which also happens to be his 25th birthday.

"I'm planning on going to the pub with my friends, actually getting to see them," he tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.

Alex is looking forward to a "big old Christmas"

Over the Christmas period, Alex, from Surrey, says he's looking forward to "spending time family and all the normal stuff".

He hasn't had symptoms for "five or six days", so he's feeling pretty confident about ending his isolation.

While some people will be frantically booking train tickets to see family, others are a bit more hesitant.

Amy Henwood, 29, has been isolating for seven days - but she's still got Covid symptoms and advice says she shouldn't leave isolation yet.

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Amy tells Newsbeat: "Honestly, I would not feel comfortable going out yet."

"At the moment, I've got a bit of a sniffly nose and a cough still, my sense of taste is weak. But the main ones for me is just a bit of a fever and just feeling really tired."

She's worried about still being infectious and passing it on to her parents, or people at her workplace who are considered high risk.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid says the new rules are based on the latest guidance from health experts.

You can order LFTs online, or collect them from from local pharmacies, vaccination centres and Covid-test centres

Anyone ending isolation on day seven is strongly advised to limit contact with vulnerable people, not visit crowded or poorly ventilated spaces, and work from home.

Amy's concerned lateral flow tests (LFTs) aren't accurate enough.

"When I first got symptoms, I think I took four [lateral flow] tests and they all came back negative until the PCR came back positive," she says.

Recent research found LFTs were more than 80% effective at detecting any level of Covid-19 infection and likely to be more than 90% effective at detecting who is most infectious when they use the test.

"Maybe if I was feeling 100% myself, and I took more than one test just to be cautious, I might feel a bit more comfortable with it."

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