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LONDON — Twice-weekly rapid testing for the coronavirus will be offered to everyone in England starting Friday, the U.K. prime minister will announce on Monday.
The so-called lateral flow test program — which was previously only available to health workers, those going to a workplace, the most vulnerable and the families of school-age children — will be offered to the whole English population in a bid to detect people with no symptoms of the disease. Decisions on testing are made by each of the U.K. nations individually.
The announcement comes days before the next phase of Boris Johnson’s roadmap out of lockdown comes into effect. Pubs and restaurants will be allowed to serve customers outside, and hairdressers, non-essential shops, gyms and leisure centers will be allowed to reopen on April 12.
Downing Street sees regular testing as a key tool to keep coronavirus under control as the population is given more freedom. It said the NHS test and trace app will also be updated to provide quicker alerts when a case is detected at a venue, and there will be new rules requiring everybody going to a pub or restaurant to provide contact details or to check in using the app.
People who have been in a venue where there have been multiple positive COVID-19 cases will also be advised to book a test immediately regardless of whether they are showing symptoms.
People will be able to have the tests delivered to their homes, collect them from a chemist, or be tested at work or school.
In comments released by Downing Street before the announcement, Prime Minister Johnson said: “As we continue to make good progress on our vaccine program and with our roadmap to cautiously easing restrictions underway, regular rapid testing is even more important to make sure those efforts are not wasted.”
Jonathan Ashworth, the opposition Labour Party’s shadow health secretary, said that testing “must go hand in hand with community public health-led contact tracing to find cases, and must be backed up by decent financial support so sick people can isolate.”
Ashworth added: “People who are sick with COVID are still forced to choose between self-isolation or feeding their families. Lack of adequate sick pay and support remains a dangerous hole in our defenses against this horrific virus.”
This article has been updated with comment from the Labour Party.
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