How do taxi drivers and other workers in England order free home lateral flow COVID-19 tests?
One city council has incentivised all licensed taxi drivers to take twice-weekly lateral flow tests as access to free, regular, rapid COVID-19 testing becomes available to everyone in England.
Alongside the roll-out of the vaccine, regular testing is seen as an essential part of the easing of restrictions, helping identify variants and stopping individual cases from becoming outbreaks. Anyone can now access free, rapid lateral flow tests for themselves and their families to use twice a week, in line with clinical guidance.
Rapid lateral flow tests can show results in under 30 minutes, and by taking them the Government can take the ‘next step safely’, protecting loved ones, customers, workmates and friends as restrictions continue to be eased cautiously.
Matt Hancock, Health and Social Care Secretary, said: “Around 1 in 3 people have coronavirus without any symptoms, so getting tested regularly is one of the simplest and easiest ways we can keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. I’d encourage everyone to take up the offer and test twice a week.
“Alongside the successful roll-out of the vaccination programme, rapid testing will be one of our most effective weapons in tackling this virus and ensuring we can cautiously reopen our economy and parts of society that we have all missed.
“The British people have made a tremendous effort throughout the pandemic and I am confident they will do the same now by taking up this offer of free, rapid tests.”
As a thank you for undertaking regular testing, Stoke-on-Trent City Council will be offering taxi drivers a free licensed vehicle MOT at the council’s Cromer Road site if they are able to prove they have undertaken 10 lateral flow tests.
Taxi drivers in the area can walk into a community test centre and take a rapid result test or pre-book an appointment.
The council currently has eight private hire operators on-board with regular testing and are now widening it out to the Hackney Carriage trade.
Shane Scragg, Transport Manager of Scraggs Coaches, which has signed-up to the council’s testing programme said: “We signed-up to protect our workforce, family members and the children we collect daily from our school runs. We are doing our part to stop the spread of coronavirus and to ensure anyone who is exposed or tested positive takes the necessary steps to ensure everyone's safety.”
According to health officials around 1 in 3 people with COVID-19 do not experience any symptoms and may be spreading the virus unwittingly. Rapid testing detects cases quickly, meaning positive cases can isolate immediately, and by making rapid tests available to everyone, more cases will be detected, breaking chains of transmission and saving lives.
Recent analysis from NHS Test and Trace shows that for every 1,000 rapid lateral flow tests carried out, there is fewer than one false positive result. Rapid lateral flow tests detect cases with high levels of virus and are very effective in finding people who do not have symptoms but are very likely to transmit the disease.
How can other taxi drivers and workers get a rapid test?
Getting a rapid test is quick and convenient according to the Department of Health and Social Care. Regular, rapid testing will be delivered through:
a home ordering service, which allows people to order lateral flow tests online to be delivered to their home
workplace testing programmes, on-site or at home
community testing, offered by all local authorities
collection at a local polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test site during specific test collection time windows
testing on-site at schools and colleges
collection from participating pharmacies.
If testing at home, individuals will need to register their results online or by calling 119. They should self-isolate if they get a positive result and order a confirmatory PCR test.
Anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 – a high temperature, a new continuous cough, or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – should book a PCR test online or by calling 119.
