Children should still follow Covid-19 rules after vaccination

23 September 2021

A section of an “easy read” consent form for the Covid-19 vaccines for children and young people, which was published by the government, wrongly stated that people who have been vaccinated no longer have to follow government rules.

The leaflet, which has now been corrected, said: “You don’t have to do keep following the governments rules if you have been vaccinated but they will help you to stay safe [sic]. This includes social distancing, wearing a face covering and washing your hands carefully and often.” The error was first reported by The Telegraph.

Public Health England (PHE) confirmed to Full Fact that the leaflet has now been updated and described the previous version as containing “a typo”. 

The same section of the form now reads: “You should keep following the government’s rules if you have been vaccinated. It will help you to stay safe. 

“This includes wearing a face covering and washing your hands carefully and often. 

“If you meet people indoors make sure you open a window to keep the air fresh. 

“If you were previously advised to shield, you should consider continuing social distancing if this feels right for you and those around you.”

The initial version of the leaflet was published by the UK Health Security Agency, while the updated version contains PHE’s logo instead.

This is in line with other government and NHS advice, which says that even with double vaccination, there is “a chance that you might still get or spread Covid-19” and so it is important to continue following official advice. 

The government website says you should continue to follow current guidance, wear a face mask when advised, wash your hands and open windows to let in fresh air.

The NHS website advises meeting people outside rather than inside, increasing ventilation if meeting people inside, limiting the number of people you meet/avoiding crowded places, wearing a face covering in certain settings and cleaning hands regularly.