In England, they will be offered free coronavirus testing twice a week from Friday, the UK government announced on Monday.
The new evidence regime is part of the government’s plan to reopen the economy in a way that would not lead to a rebound in cases.
Currently, rapid tests are only available to people at highest risk and to people who need to leave home to work, including front-line health workers, household staff and residents, schoolchildren and their families.
From Friday, everyone, including asymptomatic people, will be able to access a free trial.
The tests will be available through a home delivery service, in test centers, workplaces and schools, according to the statement.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
As we continue to make good progress in our vaccination program and with our roadmap to cautiously ease ongoing restrictions, periodic rapid testing is even more important to ensure that these efforts are not lost.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in the statement that the tests are crucial because “around one in three people who have Covid-19 have no symptoms”.
“As we open up society and take back parts of life that we have lost so much of, regular rapid testing will be critical to help us quickly detect positive cases and crush any outbreaks,” he added.
Johnson will have to outline plans for greater ease of blocking later today. They are expected to include some sort of “Covid certification” for mass events and a new “traffic light” system for international travel that is currently scheduled to resume from May 17th.
As part of this plan, those coming from “green” countries will not have to isolate themselves, while those from “red” or “amber” countries will have to follow the mandatory quarantine measures.