You don’t avoid isolation but if you are vaccinated and are pinged as a close contact you are advised to order a PCR test and to test for 7 days by LFT.
I have been pinged twice from work sadly so I am currently daily testing as a precaution for 7 days.
If you are just a contact, and don’t show symptoms, you can avoid isolation 
(Don’t even have to take the tests, it’s only guidance)
Contacts of people with Covid
If you are a fully-vaccinated (two doses) contact of someone who tested positive for Covid, you do not have to self-isolate, but should take daily lateral flow tests (LFTs) for seven days. This also applies to people under the age of 18 years and six months.
If one of the lateral flow tests is positive, you’ll need to self-isolate and take a PCR test to verify the result.
Close contacts of a positive case who are not double-jabbed have to isolate for the full 10 days immediately.
I don’t know if this is a good or bad thing, but definitely adds to the confusion 
Sorry what I meant was the LFT doesn’t avoid the isolating - the vaccine does. You aren’t required to do the LFT’s but are recommended to.
As I said… confusing 
And unfortunately, that’s been one of the biggest problems throughout.
Though thank God not nearly as confusing as some countries.
It’s really not confusing. It’s pretty straightforward as sets of instructions go. Better than some we’ve had…
I have to be honest the guidance is pretty confusing at times and I’m a health professional talking about this on a daily basis since Feb 2020.
The lack of LFTs and PCRs isn’t going to help some people feel confident in going out as normal. It could also skew data which will lead to misleading information.
The issue won’t come from lethality of omicron but lack of health care professionals working due to high numbers of staff absences.
Some parts of society don’t care whatever the guidance says they will do as they wish.
I’ve found the guidance easy to follow and that’s coming from someone who’s currently got COVID. I’ve not been confused once about what’s needed to be done and what the rules are.
I’m covered for tests I’ve got 21 of them sat in a cupboard, that’s tests, not packs
Maybe confusing was the wrong word, but as guidance, it’s not exactly straightforward.
Some possible scenarios:
No isolation for double jabbed but take LFT for 7 days (advice only, so no compulsion to)
Isolate when symptoms develop, but can also ignore the symptoms and carry on as normal
Test when symptoms develop, again no legal requirement, no test no isolation
Close contacts of a positive case who are not double-jabbed have to isolate for the full 10 days immediately. If you are not contacted by T&T but just by whoever has tested positive and don’t say anything, how does anyone know you are a close contact? Again, no isolation
I’m not advocating any of the above, just trying to point out how it isn’t so straightforward.
I’m also looking at 5 countries - UK & Ireland so that definitely confuses the matter.
If your jabbed the only slightly confusing matter is using LFTs to break isolation early.
Await the 5 day isolation Tory MPs will be yearning in the new year 
Having had to try and explain the guidance to some staff at work over the holidays, I can definitely say that many do not find it straightforward.
I wasn’t trying to pick holes in anything, just pointing out some anomalies.
Todays example, staff member calls before work.
“We went to friends on Boxing Day and they have told us one of them has tested positive for covid”
Have you been double jabbed?
“Yes”
Then no problem
“But we have taken LFT’s and my daughter’s is positive”
Was yours?
“No”
Then again, no problem. You can take LFT’s for the next 7 days if you want, but don’t have to.
“But don’t I have to isolate?”
No
“But I don’t want to come to work if I have it”
Then take the tests and as long as they negative you can come to work, only worry about that if you test positive.
“But I can’t get any LFT’s”
Collect them from work when you come in
See my point?
Just because someone hasn’t read the rules or understood them, doesn’t mean it’s complex.
Personally I don’t see them as confusing but I do know many people who do. Does not mean that they are but they are to some people.
When you’re having this conversation 2 or 3 times a week (and I only work with around 200 people) it does make you wonder though.
Which was the point I was trying to make 
As I mentioned in my reply to @Revels, I only work with a very small number of people but have to explain these things on a regular basis.
For so many to need the rules/guidelines/legal requirements explained to them, would make anyone question how they are conveyed.
The last (almost) 2 years have become a very emotive time.
The different attitudes and beliefs have turned many people against each other, divided friends and family.
People being accused of being "covidiots, anti vaxxers, tin foil hat wearers, sheeple, etc, etc
I don’t think that the constant media bombardment has helped either cause.
All we can hope is that this will all be over very soon.
Twitter likes this 
But I seriously agree. I have seen it in this thread too; even when I disagree with some posts I’ve seen responses that are just piling on instantly with no real engagement or civil conversation.
The thing is that I don’t think in reality we have lost the ability to discuss and debate because I still do it with people in real life. It’s all about how humans behave when there are no consequences or they can’t be identified. And this has been studied long before the Internet came along.
With friends, colleagues and strangers I’ve discussed Covid regulations, trans rights, BLM, Extinction Rebellion, police/Sarah Everard situations and all manner of potentially risky subjects with zero anger, differing views and civility. We then got on with life and remained friends despite having differing opinions on some things.
It’s the Internet. Really, I believe that truly.
This really gives me hope. I know they went into full lockdown, so it’s a bit different, but the wave passed without any huge problem in hospitals, running out of oxygen, ventilators etc.
I do think somewhere in the next twelve months we’ll beat this pandemic entirely. Vaccines, new medicines, herd immunity and a less severe variant all seem to be lining up. Fingers crossed!
Yes, my hope is that it’s going to mutate itself into nothing more than a common cold.
My only concern is how it was engineered in the first place. I think there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that the original virus was produced through GoF research rather than simple transmission from a different species. Unfortunately, this does not get the discussion it needs for political reasons, but I know a number of experts who (at least privately) think this way.
Even if that’s the case, I very much doubt it was released on purpose. I’m sure a lot of genetic engineering of things that shouldn’t be genetically engineered goes on across the world, I guess they’ll be a bit more cautious in the future.
Reminds me of Benradette in the Big Bang Theory
Absolutely, but accidents do happen.
This popped up on my news timeline today, possibly because Google knows I was researching updated masks. I’m pretty much certain I got COVID whilst out getting groceries. I’d already come to the conclusion my trusty mask was no longer any good against a more transmittable virus.
I actually bought this the other day, just waiting on it getting shipped, it’s certified as a KN95 mask which is the Chinese medical mask standard. Similar to N95 & FFP2. It’ll come in handy after any pandemic finally leaves us, as I’ll use it pretty much all the time, if / when I have to turn up to the office etc etc. The air vents can be sealed up, to prevent unfiltered air been discharged through them, handy if you know you’ve got the COVID. Filters inside are replaceable, they say can last a month but recommended to swap out every fortnight (dependant on usage, I guess)
It’s certainly an upgrade against what I currently use, which in turn should offer up that bit more protection when I’m out and about. I’m due to sit in some hotel conference room for a week soon, with people i don’t even know, hopefully it’ll arrive before then.