NHS Test and Trace encourages everyone with symptoms to get a test

NHS Test and Trace have launched a new campaign to encourage everyone to get a free test as soon as they get symptoms, alongside a new business plan to expand testing capacity and prepare the nation for winter.

It comes as weekly statistics show NHS Test and Trace continues to break the chain of transmission across England, with more than 218,000 people now contacted who have tested positive for the virus, or recently been in contact with someone who has.

The new public health campaign across England will help build public understanding about the integral role NHS Test and Trace plays ‒ including encouraging people to get a free test as soon as they develop symptoms and making them aware of the need to respond to the service if contacted.

Restaurants, pubs, salons and gyms are among the businesses who are being supported by NHS Test and Trace to log their customers to prevent transmission and help contain the virus.

The campaign is underpinned by a new business plan for NHS Test and Trace which outlines how the service will expand ahead of the winter. The number of tests given to people without symptoms will increase to 150,000 per day by September, with testing capacity to double to 500,000 with more than 500 testing sites by October.

Getting a test for coronavirus will also become much easier. People will be able to get a test closer to where they live. By October, the majority of people living in urban settings will be no more than a 30-minute walk from a test site.

NHS Test and Trace will continue to work closely with specific communities and regions to overcome barriers individuals and communities may face with Test and Trace, whether as a result of disability, language or a lack of digital access.