Public to be urged to test themselves for Covid twice a week to help the country come out of lockdown

All adults across the UK will be encouraged to test themselves for Covid twice a week to help the country come out of lockdown.

The Times reported that the government hopes to persuade the public to regularly swab their nose and mouth and submit them for testing.

This is expected to stop people from breaking the rules if they test negative.

An advertising campaign will urge people to “play their part” by regularly checking they are not infectious.

Testing chiefs hope that isolating more infectious people without symptoms, alongside vaccination, can drive the virus to low levels this summer.

Nationwide sewage monitoring will also be used to check for areas where Covid clusters are emerging.

Then, surge testing will be used to snuff out any outbreaks.

Surge testing is currently targeted at finding dangerous variants, such as the Brazilian one.

The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has advised that when given a one-off test, people are likely to take more risks if it is negative.

A national advertising campaign is planned to urge people to have regular tests and slow new cases.