Test and Trace makes it a lonely Covid Christmas for 11,500 in Northamptonshire

Estimates show up to 11,500 people spent Christmas Day in isolation from friends and family — even those they live with — due to Covid-19.

Public Health England's daily updates reported more than 2,800 positive tests in the county, including hundreds of kids, as cases continued to rise sharply during the ten days before December 25.

Anyone receiving notice of a positive test is required to self-isolate for ten days, that includes staying away from others in their own home.

In addition, close contacts identified by NHS Test and Trace must also self-isolate to reduce the risk of passing the virus on to others. Recent figures show an average of around three close contacts for each confirmed swab.

Among those isolating were hundreds of schoolkids after they or friends tested positive during the last week of term before schools broke up for the Christmas holidays.

We revealed last week one secondary school head's "deep frustration" after telling parents that some students must spend Christmas in isolation after a positive Covid-19 test.

Moulton School & Science College told parents on Friday — the day schools broke up for Christmas — that a year nine student with no symptoms had received a positive test during a random programme, meaning they and any close contacts needed to self-isolate for the next ten days .

Headteacher Angela Dabbs said: "Nobody wants to be in this position and especially at this time of the year."

And one angry mum posted on social media: "This is why the government should have closed schools last week, so it doesn’t spoil people’s Christmas."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a five-day easing of coronavirus restrictions so that families and friends could get together of the holidays — although that was cut to just on December 25 last weekend following sharp rises in cases and the discovery of a new faster-spreading variant on the virus.

Northamptonshire recorded its highest daily number of positive tests so far on Christmas Eve with 419 lab-confirmed swabs and another 408 on Boxing Day.

The Government escalated the county into Tier Three as a 'very high risk' area from December 26 but another Government review is due tomorrow (Wednesday).