Home Services Coronavirus (COVID-19) updates Pay online Report a problem Stay connected MyRBKC Account Open search Home Newsroom Latest Covid-19 Government guidelines Latest Covid-19 Government guidelines Published: Thursday 2 December 2021 The latest Covid-19 variant, Omicron, has been identified in small numbers in a number of parts of England, including London. The UK Health Security Association is leading investigations into confirmed cases, identifying close contacts and arranging testing as well as investigating the variant to get a better understanding of how infectious and transmissible it is, and how effective vaccines are against it. New and temporary measures(link is external) have been introduced by the Government as a precaution to slow down the spread of the variant, including having to wear face coverings in shops, other indoor settings and on public transport, and encouraging everyone in schools to wear face coverings in communal areas. All contacts of suspected Omicron cases must also now self-isolate, regardless of their vaccination status or age, and will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace. There are also changes for some people coming into the UK. There are now ten red list countries(link is external), which are: Angola Botswana Eswatini Lesotho Namibia Malawi Mozambique South Africa Zambia Zimbabwe Anyone arriving in England from these countries will need to book and pay for a government-approved hotel quarantine facility for 10 days. British nationals arriving from these countries must quarantine at home for 10 days and take NHS PCR tests on day two and day eight, even if you already have a lateral flow test booking. All international arrivals must take a PCR test before the end of day 2 following their arrival and self-isolate until they receive a negative result As we continue to learn to live with COVID-19, there are simple things we can do to protect ourselves and others from the virus. This means: getting fully vaccinated if you haven’t already getting your COVID-19 booster vaccination if six months have passed since your second dose letting fresh air in if you meet indoors - meeting outdoors is safer getting tested if you have symptoms and before periods of higher risk such as visiting vulnerable people or going to a crowded or enclosed setting wearing a face covering in crowded and enclosed areas, health settings and on public transport Find more information on how to stay safe and reduce the spread of COVID-19(link is external). Sign up to Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up link Help improve this website Give feedback Town Hall, Hornton Street, W8 7NX © 2021 The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Contact us Report a problem Complaints Freedom of Information Subject Access Requests MyRBKC Account Terms of use Cookies and your privacy Data Protection Modern slavery Accessibility Facebook - Opens in new window Twitter - Opens in new window Youtube - Opens in new window Instagram - Opens in new window Our Cookies This website uses cookies which are essential for this site to work and to enhance your experience. We also use non-essential cookies to help us improve our digital services. For more information please read our privacy policy. By clicking "Accept cookies" you are giving your consent for us to set cookies. Accept cookies policy Do not accept cookies