Local frontline police and fire service workers may soon be able to avoid quarantine - regardless of vaccine status - if they are a close contact of a positive COVID case.
This is because the Government is in the process of opening 200 testing sites for these frontline workers across the country to ensure critical staff can continue their vital work.
In these circumstances, self-isolation will be replaced by daily COVID-19 tests.
Daily testing will enable eligible workers who have received alerts from the NHS COVID-19 app or have been called by NHS Test and Trace and told they are a contact and to isolate will be able to continue working if they test negative.
It is understood the workers also don't have to be inoculated to be part of the scheme.
The location of these testing sites are unknown but it is likely that there could be one in, or around, Milton Keynes. They are not expected to be in operation until Monday at the earliest, according to Sky News.
The expansion came after the Government on Thursday announced its programme would allow around 10,000 workers at up to 500 sites in the food sector to avoid the need to self-isolate for 10 days if identified as a contact of a coronavirus case, and instead take daily COVID tests.
The first to be granted the self-isolation exemption were critical NHS frontline staff in "exceptional circumstances".
From 16 August, all people in England who are double jabbed will be exempt from self-isolation if identified as a close contact.
