Rules surrounding free universal Covid testing will be changing from Friday, April 1, and will see the majority of people being forced to pay for lateral flow tests (LFTs). It comes as Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced that Covid will be treated like any other respiratory infection such as the common cold or influenza.
While many people will have to pay for lateral flow tests to find out if they have contracted Covid-19 or not, there are some key groups of people who will still be eligible for free lateral flow tests. Those who are entitled to free lateral flow tests include:
- NHS staff who are in regular contact with patients.
- NHS-commissioned independent healthcare providers.
- Staff who work in hospices, adult social care services (care homes etc).
- Some care home visitors that provide personal care to someone else.
- Prison and detention centre staff
- Staff who work in high-risk domestic abuse refuges and homelessness settings.
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According to the government's new guidance, asymptomatic testing - PCR testing - will be carried out during periods of high prevalence of the virus to mitigate risks. These tests will be provided to:
- Adult social care staff and a small number of visitors providing personal care
- Hospice staff
- Patient-facing staff in the NHS and NHS-funded independent healthcare provision
- Some staff in prisons and other places of detention, and some refugees and shelters
Furthermore, care home outbreak testing for both staff and residents will continue throughout the whole year. The government has announced that full guidance on testing regimes will be published soon to reflect the new Covid-19 strategy.
Most visitors to adult social care settings will no require a lateral flow test but tests will continue to be provided to a small number of care homes and hospices that provide personal care. Visits by people with symptoms could still be allowed under exceptional circumstances, such as end of life visits.
For the general public, Covid-19 tests will be available to buy on the high street. A number of shops and pharmacies will be selling tests for around £2.
In schools, routine testing will no longer be expected. Advice published by the Department for Education said those who test positive for coronavirus should stay at home and avoid contact with others for five days, adding “for children and young people aged 18 and under, the advice will be three days”.
However, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said this advice is “confusing” and that abandoning free testing in the run-up to exams “makes absolutely no sense at all”.
“It is frustrating and disappointing that the Department for Education has only now communicated its ‘Living with Covid’ plans to schools and colleges 24 hours before this significant change takes place,” he said.
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