The list of workers in England exempted from self-isolation if ‘pinged’ has been expanded further to include people employed in prisons, defence, veterinary medicine, energy and frontline emergency services, among other critical sectors.
Two thousand testing sites will open: 800 will deal with food industry, transport and Border Force workers, while the other 1,200 will be for prison, waste, defence, veterinary, energy, pharmaceutical, telecoms, chemical, communications, water, space and fishing industries.
Frontline police and fire service staff will also be exempt from self-isolation if they are notified about contact with a Covid-19 case by the NHS Covid app or by NHS Test and Trace but test negative for the virus.
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They will need to take daily tests for the usual 10-day self-isolation period.
The frontline workers join a list of critical workers who were made exempt from self-isolation requirements last week, including people working in the food supply chain.
Fully-vaccinated healthcare workers will also be allowed to continue working if they are exposed to someone who has the virus, but slightly different arrangements are in place because of the nature of their roles.
Organisations and staff taking part in the scheme will be provided with guidance about the protocols they must follow.
Home secretary Priti Patel – from whom the Police Federation withdrew confidence last week – said: “Our brave police officers and firefighters have shown throughout the pandemic that they have worked tirelessly to keep us safe and serve their communities.
“Border Force have played a vital role in the national effort to keep goods and supplies coming into the country as well as keeping our borders secure.
“Daily testing will keep our frontline teams safe while they continue to serve the public and communities across our country.”
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The number of new coronavirus infections has fallen for six days in a row for the first time since February, but last week it was reported that more than 600,000 people had been told to self isolate after contact with a positive Covid-19 case.
