The Department of Health and Social Care has released a full list of key workers who are eligible to be tested for coronavirus.
Employers of frontline workers will be provided with information on how to make an appointment for their staff to get tested, Chronicle Live reports.
The test involves taking a swab of the nose and the back of the throat and can take place at a testing facility, a drive-though site or can be delivered to the home.
Samples are then analysed at labs and the result is communicated back to the individual usually within 48 hours.
The current list of key workers who can be tested includes:
- NHS and social care staff
- Police, fire and rescue services
- Local authority staff (for example, social workers)
- Prisons, probation and judiciary staff
- Frontline benefits workers
Other frontline workers will be determined by local or national need. Examples include:
- Medical supply chain and distribution workers (including veterinary medicine)
- Testing infrastructure workers (such as laboratories)
- Workers in the funeral industry and coroners
- Frontline Home Office and Border Force staff
- Maritime and Coastguard Agency staff
- Critical personnel in the continuity of energy, utilities and waste networks
- Critical personnel in food and drink production
- Workers critical to the continuity of essential travel and movement of goods
The list, available on the Government website, applies to England only.
The Department of Health and Social Care said the list is not exhaustive, adding that local and regional areas can refer other frontline workers in their area for testing as determined by need and available capacity.
The Government has committed to 100,000 tests a day by the end of the month - but testing is mainly being offered to those who show symptoms of Covid-19, such as a persistent cough.
An increased number of tests available will allow key workers to return to work as soon as possible if they test negative for the virus.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “I am determined to ensure that everyone who needs a coronavirus test should be able to have access to one. Today’s expansion of testing will allow even more vital workers to return to the front line.
“We have built up capacity in the system with new testing and diagnostic facilities backed by Britain’s world-class scientists and industry partners. This means we are now able to give even more workers who support and protect us the ability to know if they have coronavirus if they have been demonstrating symptoms.
“Testing is key in our battle against coronavirus and we will continue to prioritise patients, NHS and social care workers but we now have the ability to provide more people with the certainty they need to get back to the front line when it is safe to do so.”
