Free tests for key workers as death toll nears 20,000
Health Secretary faces criticism over failure to match response of European neighbours such as Germany
Friday, 24th April 2020
Matt Hancock: ‘As we expanded the capacity from just 2,000 tests a day at the start of March to 10,000 a day at the start of this month, we have also been able to expand access’
KEY workers and their families will be able to access free coronavirus tests by registering online from today (Friday), the government announced last night.
In the daily Downing Street press briefing, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the number of registered Covid-19 hospital deaths in the UK had risen to 18,738, an increase of 616 new cases over 24 hours.
With the issue of testing – or the lack of it – at the forefront of the national discussion on coronavirus, Mr Hancock said essential workers could now book up.
Anyone on the list of professions previously released to decide whose children could carry on in school during the lockdown would be able to apply for a test on the government’s website, he added.
These include NHS staff, transport workers, delivery drivers, local government officials and many more.
Mr Hancock also said all care home residents can now be tested whether they have symptoms or not.
He said: “As we expanded the capacity from just 2,000 tests a day at the start of March to 10,000 a day at the start of this month, we have also been able to expand access.”
The government has faced questions as to why it has not been able to match the amount of testing in Germany, which has appeared to fare better in controlling the virus.
Mr Hancock said the new testing also “applies for people in essential worker households too who need a test. It’s all part of getting Britain back on her feet.”
He said he knew his 100,000 test a day target for the end of the month was “demanding”, but insisted that capacity is being increased ahead of target.
Mr Hancock also revealed 18,000 people including 3,000 clinicians were being hired to work on contact tracing, with an NHS app in development – seen as a measure needed to ease lockdown restrictions in the future.
The government is to work with the Office for National Statistics and Oxford University in a nationwide study involving 25,000 people. Letters will ask people to take part in “vital research” involving daily swabs and home interviews by trained health professionals.
