Covid: Which schools will get mass testing?

Mass testing for Covid is to be offered to all secondary school children in the worst-affected areas of London, Kent and Essex.

It is also being introduced in England's tier three "high risk" coronavirus areas, following a successful pilot in Liverpool.

Mass testing means asking everyone to be tested, whether or not they have symptoms.

The idea is to find people who may be infected, but not yet displaying symptoms.

They can then be told to isolate and be prevented from spreading the virus.

Mass testing can be used in more targeted ways, including:

Mass testing will be offered to sixth-form and secondary school staff, pupils and their families in parts of north east London, Essex and Kent on Friday and over the weekend.

An extra 15 mobile testing units will be set up in or near schools in London, 12 in Kent and 10 in Essex.

The areas are:

London

Essex

The fastest rise in coronavirus infection rates is among 11-18-year-olds, Education Secretary Matt Hancock said, and pupils should get tested even if they don't have symptoms.

The tests are not compulsory but are strongly encouraged.

Schools and colleges will be told how to get involved, the government says, and parents can apply for tests using the online testing portal.

Children under 16 need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian to use a mobile testing unit.

Currently, most people can only have a test if they already have symptoms.

But under England's new, stricter tier system, the government says mass testing will be widened out to tier-three areas, home to 23.3 million people.

This follows the success of a scheme in Liverpool, where everyone living or working in the city was offered a voluntary test.

Cases there fell from 635 per 100,000 people in mid-October to 106 at the end of November, helping Liverpool move from tier three to tier two.

In addition to testing the general population, local authorities in tier three areas could also target high-risk workplaces and hard-to-reach communities.

This could be similar to the Liverpool pilot, which has mobile testing sites in care homes and schools.

People might be invited to have a test, but they can also book their own online. Whole families can also just turn up in their car.

NHS staff will also be tested for coronavirus twice a week. Routine testing of health workers already happens in hardest hit areas.

The Liverpool pilot offers two types of testing, both involve swabbing the nose or throat.

The PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test is regarded as the "gold standard" by epidemiologists, but takes up to a day or longer to produce a result because the sample is sent off to a laboratory.

The lateral flow test involves a handheld kit that gives a result - a bit like a pregnancy test - in about 20 minutes. There's no need for a lab. Fluid from a nasal swab or saliva goes on one end, then a marking appears if you are positive.

Anyone who tests positive must immediately self-isolate for at least 10 days. Their contacts will be traced by NHS Test and Trace, and must isolate if told to do so.

Self-isolating means staying at home and not leaving even to buy food, medicines or other essentials, or for exercise.

People should order online groceries, or ask friends and family to get supplies and leave them outside the front door.

Anyone in England who fails to self-isolate after a positive test can be fined up to £10,000.

Anyone on low income who was instructed to self-isolate in a phone call from NHS Test and Trace should be able to claim a £500 payment from their local authority.