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One in four young adults not following Covid self-isolation rules, survey suggests

A new survey suggests a quarter of young adults who test positive for Covid-19 no longer follow the rules for self-isolating (Zoe Linkson/PA) (PA Wire)
A new survey suggests a quarter of young adults who test positive for Covid-19 no longer follow the rules for self-isolating (Zoe Linkson/PA) (PA Wire)

One in four young adults who test positive for Covid-19 no longer follow the rules for self-isolating, a new survey suggests.

Some 75 per cent of respondents aged between 18 and 34 said they fully adhered to the isolation requirements for the entire 10-day period after testing positive for coronavirus.

This was “statistically significantly” lower than the percentage of 35 to 54-year-olds who said they followed the rules (86 per cent), according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which compiled the survey.

The figures are based on responses collected from adults in England between July 5 and 10.

They suggest that most people are still following the requirement to self-isolate, though levels have dropped in the past two months.

Some 88 per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds said they were adhering to self-isolation rules when surveyed between May 10 and 15, compared with 75 per cent in the latest survey.

Adherence among all adults has fallen from 86 per cent in May to 79 per cent in July.

The proportion of people saying that self-isolation has affected their wellbeing has risen, however.

Around four in 10 (42 per cent) of those who tested positive reported that isolating had had a negative effect on their mental health, up from 37 per cent in May.

And 31 per cent reported having lost income due to self-isolation, up from 27 per cent.

Tim Gibbs, head of the ONS public service analysis team, said: “Full adherence to self-isolation requirements after testing positive for Covid-19 remains high, though we have seen a drop from May to July.

“Self-isolation can have a negative impact on wellbeing and finances – nearly one third of people reported they lost income as a result of adherence and four in 10 said self-isolation had a negative impact on their wellbeing and mental health.

“With restrictions having relaxed further, it is important we continue to monitor the behaviour of those required to self-isolate.”

The ONS added that the figures should be treated with care, as the survey was based on a relatively small sample of respondents who chose to report their own behaviour.

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