Key workers across several industries that keep the country running will be required to take COVID tests daily, the prime minister has announced.
Boris Johnson said 100,000 workers “from food processing to transport to Border Force” will have to test every day they are in work from 10 January.
The government will send lateral flow tests to those industries directly and will help organise the logistics.
The aim is to ensure infections are caught as early as possible to therefore minimise spreading COVID to colleagues, which has been causing major issues.
Announcing the measure at a Downing Street news briefing, the prime minister said that the UK “has a chance to ride out the Omicron wave without shutting down our country again”.
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ICU cases ‘flat’ – Sajid Javid
Explainer: Why cutting self-isolation to five days would be ‘counterproductive’
Despite record daily coronavirus cases over the past week, ministers over the past few days have insisted the data does not support further restrictions.
A review of restrictions in England will take place tomorrow but ministers have so far indicated nothing will change and Plan B will remain in place as it is.
On Tuesday afternoon, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the government is not looking at cutting the self-isolation period for those who test positive to five days.
Just before Christmas, the isolation period was cut to seven days if people test negative with a lateral flow on days six and seven – but must remain for 10 days if they test positive then.
There have since been calls to cut it further to five days, like the US, but the UK Health Security Agency explained the US starts counting the first day later than the UK so it would not be appropriate and is not a like-for-like comparison.
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‘Hospitalisations have begun to rise in over-50s’
Mr Javid also confirmed that as of Tuesday morning, six hospital trusts had declared critical incidents over the past two days but it could be more as it “is a very fast-moving situation”.
When asked if the military could help with staff shortages, Mr Javid said it is already helping in vaccination centres.
He added that volunteers are also helping with NHS deliveries, as well as an emergency list of workers developed during the pandemic.
The health secretary said they may call on retired clinicians and other NHS staff to “come back and help”.