Some 200,000 children are off school in England due to coronavirus, the Education Secretary said, as he promised more details on rapid testing this week when universal free provision is stopped. Nadhim Zahawi said further information about lateral flow tests will be set out on Friday, when mass free testing will end in England.
The Government has said free tests will only be made available to the most vulnerable but an education union has said removing free access when Covid-19 cases are high “feels irresponsible”, while a health expert labelled it “a disaster” for NHS workers. There has been confusion within the NHS as to whether tests will remain free for staff, with the NHS Confederation saying workers may be forced to pay about £50 a month if they have to fund the mandatory tests themselves, as it called for clarity over the issue.
School leaders have also expressed concern over “worrying” reports of a recent rise in Covid cases in schools, warning that the issue could get worse when families have to pay for tests. Around one in 16 people in private households in England – or 3.5 million people – are likely to have had Covid-19 in the week to March 19, according to the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures.
