UK has expanded its COVID-19 testing programme to align with the new Test, Trace, Isolate and Support approach. Testing for COVID-19 will now be open to everyone who is symptomatic over the age of five years. All four nations in the UK will implement the expanded testing programme.
Under the new strategy, any individual who is exhibiting any of the three symptoms of COVID-19, that is, continuous cough, fever or anosmia/dysgeusia will be eligible to book a test at the drive-through or mobile test centres. A limited number of home test kits will also be made available through the programme.
Prior to this, testing was only offered only to individuals aged ≥65 years, front-line workers and to anyone who needs to work and cannot do so from home. Additionally, household members of those groups were also eligible for testing.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "As well as allowing more people to have a case of COVID-19 confirmed, today’s expansion will also be helpful as we build towards our strategy of test, trace, isolate and support – something that will be especially important as we start to emerge gradually from lockdown. This is vital in order to keep transmission in communities low."
