COVID-19 testing among medical and care staff with no symptoms in England will be paused at the end of August, the UK government has announced.
The Department of Health and Social Care said on Aug. 24 that regular asymptomatic testing for COVID-19 in all remaining settings in England will be paused from Aug. 31.
As part of the government’s “Living with COVID” plan, free testing for the public ended on April 1. But asymptomatic testing continued to be used in some settings, including health and social care, during periods of high case rates.
Steve Barclay, secretary of state for health and social care, arrives for a Cabinet meeting in Downing Street, London, on July 7, 2022. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said the pause in routine asymptomatic testing in most high-risk settings “reflects the fact case rates have fallen and the risk of transmission has reduced.”…