Received from Devon County Council

Who can get free symptomatic COVID-19 tests after Friday 1 April?

The new government guidance states that, after Friday 1 April, free symptomatic COVID-19 PCR testing will be provided for:

• Patients in hospital, where a PCR test is required for their care and to provide access to treatments and to support ongoing clinical surveillance for new variants.
• People who are eligible for community COVID-19 treatments because they are at higher risk of getting seriously ill from coronavirus. People in this group will be contacted directly and sent lateral flow tests to keep at home for use if they have symptoms as well as being told how to reorder tests..
• People living or working in some high-risk settings. For example, staff in adult social care services such as domiciliary care and care home workers, and residents in care homes and extra care and supported living services. NHS workers and those working and living in hospices, prisons and places of detention (including immigration removal centres) will also remain eligible for free tests.

Rapid lateral flow device (LFD) testing for people without symptoms of COVID-19 will continue after Friday 1 April in some high-risk settings where infection can spread rapidly while prevalence is high. This includes:

• Patient-facing staff in the NHS and NHS-commissioned Independent Healthcare Providers.
• Staff in hospices and adult social care services, such as domiciliary care home care organisations, care homes and a small number of care home visitors who provide personal care
• Staff in some prisons and places of detention (including immigration removal centres) and in high risk domestic abuse refuges and homelessness settings.
• Residential Special Educational Needs and Disabilities facilities, care home staff and residents during an outbreak and for care home residents upon admission.

What to do if you have symptoms of COVID-19 after Friday 1 April

From Friday 1 April, updated government guidance will advise people with symptoms of a respiratory infection, including COVID-19, and a high temperature or who feel unwell, to try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people, until they feel well enough to resume normal activities and they no longer have a high temperature. Until Friday 1 April, please continue to follow the current government guidance.

From Friday 1 April, anyone with a positive COVID-19 test result will be advised to try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for five days, which is when they are most infectious.

Advice will be provided for individuals who need to leave their home when they have symptoms or have tested positive, including avoiding close contact with people with a weakened immune system, wearing a face-covering and avoiding crowded places.

Children and young people who are unwell and have a high temperature should stay at home and avoid contact with other people, where they can. They can go back to school, college or childcare when they no longer have a high temperature, and they are well enough to attend.