Brits could soon be forced to pay for their own Covid tests as the Treasury is pushing to save billions by ending the free service despite fears on the impact from scientists, it has been reported.
Covid cases are dropping in the UK with only 12 areas (three per cent of the country) having seen numbers rise.
With the rollout of vaccines and booster jabs the UK has seen the outlook brighten and overall cases, deaths and hospitalisations have been down compared to last week.
It comes with Boris Johnson expected to set out a new plan on "Living with Covid" when MPs return from recess on February 21.
This includes scrapping the legal requirement for people to self isolate if they test positive for the virus.
And in Wales it has been announced it will ease Covid rules on masks and vaccine passports but self isolation will stay.
Now the Guardian reports that the Treasury wants to end free PCR testing by the end of March for most people and exceptions would include those in hospital or the highly vulnerable.
Lateral flow tests could be still given out free or limited to those over 50 and the vulnerable, it is reported.
Ending the free PCR tests is clearly appealing to Rishi Sunak ’s department with billions having been spent to ensure that the public can find out for free if they have Covid and so slow the spread of the virus.
There is concern though among scientists that it may be too soon to ask people to pay for their own PCR tests which can be expensive.
The UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) wants the Government to keep providing free tests until at least the start of April.
But another Guardian source also said that the Government was going ahead with plans to avoid free PCR tests and would close walk-in testing centres with only home delivery options available.
Boris Johnson has revealed he plans to end self-isolation for people who test positive for Covid "a full month earlier" than planned, and will confirm the exact date in a statement to MPs on Monday 21 February.
The prime minister said: “It is my intention to return on the first day after the half term recess to present our strategy for living with Covid.
“Provided the current encouraging trends in the data continue, it is my expectation that we’ll be able to end the last domestic restrictions, including the legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive, a full month early.”
No 10 said it was a major step and faster than other European countries, but added: "We’re not saying isolation is pointless.
"We’d expect anyone with an infectious disease to take steps not to spread that disease further - a colleague at work with flu, for example."
The Government is expected to publish plans to live with Covid after recess ends in the final week of February.
The Covid winter plan published last September said free lateral flow tests would eventually be scrapped but no date has been set for doing so.
Prof Tim Spector, the epidemiologist running King's College London’s Zoe Covid study, said: “This is more a political type of statement rather than a scientific one.
"There is some rationale to this and other countries are doing things similar, but it’s clearly a race for the Government to say that Britain is first.”
Dr Stephen Griffin of Leeds University said: “Literally blinding ourselves by removing testing and isolation robs us of the most fundamental means of controlling the spread.”
