Health Minister Sajid Javid (photographed from number 10 yesterday) changed the Covid rules
Workers with Covid symptoms will not be required to be tested from Friday, as the UK tries to return to normalcy in the wake of the pandemic.
Anyone who is not feeling well with symptoms such as fever and cough is advised to stay at home.
The guidelines, issued by Health Minister Sajid Javid, are part of the government’s plan to treat Covid like any other respiratory illness.
People who have symptoms and test positive are advised to wear masks, avoid close contact with sensitive people, and stay away from crowded areas if they need to leave the house.
But hospitals, patients and nursing home staff can request free Covid tests, as well as those at risk of serious illness. Others have to pay.
Most visitors to nursing homes, hospitals and prisons no longer need to test.
And tomorrow the free parking for NHS staff introduced during the pandemic will end.
Javid said, “We are at the forefront of learning to live with the virus thanks to our plan to combat Covid.
“We have made tremendous progress, but we are in a position to respond to future threats, including potential variants.
“Vaccinations continue to be our best defense and we now offer spring supplements to the elderly, nursing home residents and the most vulnerable.”
Although the number of coronavirus infections has increased in recent weeks, more than 55% of hospital patients who test positive do not have a primary diagnosis of Covid.
The Test and Monitor program cost taxpayers £15.7bn in 2021-22.
The guide, which went into effect on April 1, advises people with respiratory infection symptoms and a high fever or feeling unwell to stay at home and avoid contact with others until they feel well and their temperature does not return to normal.
Anyone with a positive Covid test result is advised to try to stay home and avoid contact with others for the five days they are most contagious.
Children and young people who are sick and have a fever should stay at home and avoid contact with other people as much as possible.
They can go back to school, college or kindergarten when they no longer have a fever and are in good health.
Free symptom testing will be provided for hospitalized patients where PCR testing is required for their care and access to treatment, and clinical monitoring for new variants will also be supported.
The tests will also be available to people who qualify for covid treatment in the community because they have a higher risk of becoming seriously ill.
This group will be contacted directly and if they have symptoms they will be sent lateral flow tests to stay home and tell them how to reorder the tests.
Those who live or work in high-risk settings, including nursing homes, nursing homes and prisons, are tested for free.
And people will be tested in nursing homes, nursing homes, shelters and shelters before they are discharged from the hospital.
Vaccines remain our best defense
The lateral power outage in England is boosting sales FIVELY in a week at High St pharmacies as Brits struggle to get free tests before they are shelved on Friday… but how much will the chains sell them for?
Britain’s fight for the last remaining free delivery of lateral flow tests has seen sales of fast devices in High Street pharmacies increase fivefold in one week.
LloydsPharmacy is currently selling Covid tests, although free copies are available on the government website until Friday.
But dozens of Brits have complained in the past two weeks that they haven’t been able to get kits through the official ordering channel.
The battle to gain access to devices, a key part of the UK’s strategy to combat Covid, has enabled major retailers to make money.
LloydsPharmacy said MailOnline’s sales for the week ending March 28 were 400% higher than in the previous seven-day period.
It also announced that it would lower the price of the side rails and cut the price of the five-speed pad pack by 20 cents to £9.29 – or £1.86 each – making it the cheapest on the market.
A single test sold by the company alone will cost people £1.89, compared to the competitor Superdrug’s £1.99 and Boots’ £2.
Meanwhile, Boots sells its five-pack for £9.80, and Superdrug offers them at £9.79.
Retail chains have been undermining each other since February 23, just days after Boris Johnson announced that the massive public sidestream would end on April 1.
The rapid tests will be distributed to patients, hospital and hospice staff as part of the final phase of strategy #10 co-existing with Covid.
Experts have repeatedly called the move to end free testing for those who are no longer eligible amid increasing cases, as “alarming”.
Lateral flow tests will be rationed to the elderly and frail as part of the final stage of life through No10’s Covid strategy, leading to fears that people are accumulating the remaining free tampons in the meantime. Users failed to order test from government site today
High Street Pharmacies continue their price wars today before shelving free side tests that begin next week. The graph shows: Different pricing options in Boots, Superdrug and LloydsPharmacy
LloydsPharmacy has slashed the price of five rapid test suites to £9.29, £1.86 each. At the end of February, they gave a price of 9.49 TL for the package.
awaiting transfer A spokesperson for LloydsPharmacy told MailOnline that the company will lower its side price slightly from previous plans.
They said: “From April 1st, in line with the latest government changes, lateral flow testing will no longer be free in the UK.
“LloydsPharmacy will continue to help ensure the safety of the public and we currently offer a range of lateral flow test kits to meet customer needs.
“This includes single tests from £1.89 or a pack of five up to just £9.29 – £1.86 per test – now available in store and online at LloydsPharmacy.com.
“You can find more information about our testing offer on our website and up-to-date coronavirus information on the coronavirus page on the national government website.”
Boots has been offering its tests since the end of last month, and Superdrug currently sells its tests online as well.
When the Omicron wave collapsed in February, Boris Johnson announced that free tests would be phased out by April.
The announcement was seen at the time as a way to appease the backseat of conservatives, who threatened to send credentials to the prime minister following the Partygate scandal.
But in recent weeks, the UK has seen a resurgence of Covid infections and hospitalizations triggered by the even more contagious BA.
SAGE has previously warned that ending the £2bn-a-month program would leave the country in the dark about another wave, and said the poor would be most affected.
Progress could put some of society’s most vulnerable people at risk, experts said.
Professor Denis Kinane, founding scientist and immunologist at Cignpost Diagnostics, said: “I am concerned that the decision to discontinue free testing on April 1 may pose a risk to some vulnerable groups, particularly those who are immunocompromised.
“This is alarming for the recent increase in the number of cases and hospital admissions.”
Covid cases have risen since the beginning of the month, after all restrictions on Freedom Day were relaxed on February 24.
Hospital admissions also rose 16% in a week to 2,380 on Tuesday, the latest data available.
That was 2,386 on January 10, the highest daily total since the Omicron wave peak in January.
People trying to get the tests done reported having trouble accessing the kits for weeks, as the government started apportioning the kits before the deadline for fear of stockpiling the kits.
Professor Kinane added: “The recent stories of shortcomings in lateral flow testing suggest that large numbers of people still want to be tested to reassure themselves or protect their families.
Additionally, testing played a vital role in preventing transmission for those working in environments where they would come into contact with large numbers of people.
“Many industries will wonder whether this will prevent more people from returning to their jobs safely as they start living with the virus.”
Source: Daily Mail
I am Anne Johnson and I work as an author at the Fashion Vibes. My main area of expertise is beauty related news, but I also have experience in covering other types of stories like entertainment, lifestyle, and health topics. With my years of experience in writing for various publications, I have built strong relationships with many industry insiders. My passion for journalism has enabled me to stay on top of the latest trends and changes in the world of beauty.
