The Government has set up an online booking system for key workers to arrange a test for the coronavirus, including highways and transport workers.
Health secretary Matt Hancock made the announcement at the Number 10 daily briefing and was clear that the list of essential workers is based on the one released earlier by the Department of Education and which includes highways and transport.
Mr Hancock said: ‘From today employers of essential workers will be able to go on http://Gov.uk and get a test for any of their staff who need a test. From tomorrow workers will be able to book an appointment for themselves directly.’
‘This applies to people in essential workers' households, who will be able to get a test too. Essential workers are based on the list for schools and education set out in http://Gov.UK. The whole process will be free.
‘Once you have entered your details on the website you'll get a text or an email inviting you to book an appointment. After you have had your test, results will be sent out by text and a helpdesk will be available to deal with queries.
People who can’t book online, will still be able to apply for a test through their employer.
There is a network of 31 testing locations throughout the UK. The government is also introducing home test kits and, with the support the armed forces, mobile testing sites too.
The current capacity is 51,121 tests a day.
There are two types of test - a swab test, for the presence of the virus and the second is a blood test to show who has had the virus. The swab test is the government's main focus at the moment as 'relatively few people have had the virus at this point in the pandemic'.
Swab tests can show what treatment is needed, who needs to be isolated when they come into any care service and which key workers that have been self-isolating can return to work.
Some two-thirds of those being tested so far have been able to return to work.
