According to the latest updates, Boris Johnson has announced new measures for critical workers to control the spread of the virus. The Omicron variant is causing disruption in almost all sectors especially due to its infectious nature. Here, you will know who is eligible for priority testing and what the Express Test entails.
Which Critical Workers Are Eligible for Daily Tests?
The whole of Britain is now crippled by staff shortages, and in order to tackle that, the Government announced that about 100,000 critical workers would have to go through daily lateral flow tests starting from January 10. On January 4, Boris Johnson attended a press conference. He confirmed that this scheme is meant for all critical workers; however, this time, the criteria will be less expensive compared to the previous setup.
Definition of ‘Key Worker’ as per Previous Norms
So, who was previously considered as a key worker? Throughout the pandemic, the definition of key workers has remained expansive. The UK Health Security Agency defined “essential workers” on February 25, 2021, and the same guidance is still valid now. This list is mainly to determine the priority order for PCR testing. The list includes doctors, nurses, frontline healthcare staff, social workers, court and prison staff, journalists, charity workers, broadcasters, public health staff, environmental workers, and funeral industry workers.
Other people on this priority list for PCR testing include transport and border workers, police and support staff, personnel involved in constructing critical infrastructure, teachers, “critical workers” in the food, drinks, and other essential items production industry.
The list also includes staff in vital infrastructure services, telecommunications, and essential financial services.
Who is Eligible for Daily Testing?
The Government identified a total of 100,000 workers who will be included in the daily testing scheme. This includes workers from several sectors from Border Force to transport to food processing. All the eligible organizations under this scheme will receive the testing kits from the Government. However, not everyone from the transport sector would be eligible for daily testing. The Government has yet to release the exact list of eligible workers, but according to reports, the list will be precise compared to that of last year.
Who Is Not Eligible for Daily Testing?
The daily testing scheme has been formed for 100,000 workers identified by the Government. This means that several categories of workers will not be included under this scheme and thus are not required to take daily tests. Gillian Keegan made it clear that workers who are not covered under daily testing can access the test pretty easily. Keegan also mentioned that they have tripled the capacity and hence, despite the surge in testing, the systems should be better equipped to handle the load in the coming few days.
Will New Rules Be Enforced?
No new rules are on the horizon for now. Boris Johnson confirmed during the press conference that Plan B Covid rules will remain valid for England for at least three more weeks. The Government has set January 26 as the review date for these rules. Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland have made stricter rules for the public ever since Christmas, and those regulations are still in place.
England’s chief medical officer, Sir Chris Witty, mentioned that even though the Omicron variant is supposed to cause fewer hospitalizations, keeping the present status in mind, the NHS is still facing considerable pressure on its staff and services especially owing to the severe staff shortage.
Conclusion
Boris Johnson has already urged the citizens to get their booster doses as soon as they can. He also stressed that in the coming days, other countries will make booster doses a mandatory requirement for entry. When asked about whether he is confident that the Government would pose no further restrictions, the prime minister mentioned that it depends on how the virus behaves. As of now, the Omicron variant is spreading quickly across the country and every day a record number of cases are being reported. As a result of this, every business sector is affected, and normal functioning has been disrupted. This has also led to a massive shortage of workers, which led the Government to launch the new covid testing rules.
