Most people arriving at hospitals and care homes will not be tested for Covid unless they have symptoms from the end of the month, it has been announced.
Health chiefs say that a fall in cases and fatalities due to the virus mean wider asymptomatic testing can be brought to an end on August 31.
But the move has sparked alarm among healthcare workers, who say the "terrible toll" of failure to test during the pandemic should not be forgotten.
Latest figures show there have been just over 40,000 confirmed cases in England in the past seven days, with 744 deaths within four weeks of a positive test.
The government said it will continue to monitor data, and asymptomatic testing could be brought back in if cases spiral once again.
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Immunocompromised patients in hospitals and people being admitted into care homes and hospices will continue to be tested, it was confirmed.
People with coronavirus symptoms will continue to be tested in NHS facilities, care homes, hospices and social services as well as prisons and domestic abuse refuges.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: “Thanks to the success of our world-leading vaccination roll-out, we are able to continue living with Covid and, from 31 August, we will pause routine asymptomatic testing in most high-risk settings.
“This reflects the fact case rates have fallen and the risk of transmission has reduced, though we will continue to closely monitor the situation and work with sectors to resume testing should it be needed. Those being admitted into care homes will continue to be tested."
The Royal College of Nursing has hit out at the move. Director for England, Particia Marquis, said: "Nursing staff are only too aware of the terrible toll the failure to test can have on some of their most vulnerable patients.
“Cases of COVID-19 may well be falling but this virus has still not gone away, and it is vital that there is continued vigilance to ensure patients and nursing staff are not put at risk."
She added: “We have all come a long way and must not risk any backwards step when health services are already under enormous pressure.”
Dr Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser to the UK Health Security Agency, said: “Covid case rates and hospitalisations are on the decline, demonstrating the positive impact of the vaccines, which remain our best form of defence.
"The data from our surveillance shows prevalence is low and decreasing, and we will continue to monitor this data closely.
“If you are invited to receive a booster jab in the autumn, or if you have not yet had a Covid vaccine, please do take up the offer to protect yourself and those around you.”
In a statement the Department for Health and Social Care said: "The government expects the prevalence of Covid to remain low following the most recent wave but will keep the situation under review.
"In line with the Living with Covid plan, the government will continue to work closely with sectors and services and will be ready to resume testing if required."
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