Should I self-isolate when free lateral flow tests end? How Covid guidance will change when testing kits stop

The legal requirement to self-isolate in England was scrapped last month and switched to guidance.

That guidance is expected to remain in place despite the Government no longer providing free PCR or lateral flow tests from 1 April, meaning people will have to pay to check if they have the virus.

What will the isolation guidance be after 1 April?

The final wording of new guidance for England is still being decided, but anyone with respiratory symptoms will be strongly advised to stay off work or school and self-isolate.

Officials working on the Government’s Covid response want the guidance to remain in place in order to keep the current wave, driven by the Omicron variant’s offshoot BA.2, and future surges in check, in the absence of comprehensive data.

The Covid dashboard, which currently shows daily reported cases, hospital admissions, deaths and vaccination rates, will remain in place, but the cases data will become increasingly unreliable once households’ existing stocks of free lateral flow tests run out.

At present, the guidance is for people to isolate for at least five full days after testing positive.

The day you start experiencing symptoms (or the day you first test positive if you do not have symptoms) counts as day zero. If you test negative on day five and day six you can then leave isolation.

If you do not test negative on both of these days, the guidance states you can leave isolation after two consecutive days of negative tests or after 10 days, whichever comes first.

Where can I get lateral flows after 1 April?

The Government has an approved list of lateral flow test providers which you can find here, along with contact details.

If you use one of these approved providers you will be able to report your result on the Government website here.

You do not have to use an approved provider, but if you do not you will not be able to register your result.

The Government says tests not on its approved list may also not meet minimum standards.

You can order tests online or pick them up from a local pharmacy, including chains such as Boots.

Boots has said it will offer the devices for £2.50 each or £12 for a pack of five, or £17 for a pack of four with the extra option to send results to the UKHSA.

Other pharmacies are offering them for similar prices, but you can find individual for as little as £1 or as much as £15. The best thing to do is shop around to find the best deal for you.

Lateral flow tests could end up costing care home visitors £73 a month, a leading UK charity has said.

James White, the head of public affairs and campaigns at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Over the past two years, we’ve consistently heard many tragic stories from families struggling to visit their loved ones in care homes. For many people with dementia, this isolation has led to a significant deterioration in their condition and mental health.

“With infection rates rising once again, the Government must provide free lateral flow tests for all visitors to care homes so that families are not put in an agonizing position where they are forced to ration visits, leaving people with dementia once again isolated and alone.”

Why are free tests being scrapped?

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said free testing for all was costing the government billions of pounds a month.

He added: “Because of vaccines, therapeutics and other means we are now in a vastly different position to where we were when we first started providing free testing.

“Organisations should not expect the sort of detailed, prescriptive advice that we saw at the height of the pandemic, the advice will be in line with what is already set out for things like flu, for example.”

A UKHSA spokesperson said: “As we begin a new phase of living with the virus, we will continue to monitor Covid-19 through our world-leading studies and many data sources. We will also be continuing genome sequencing of cases to provide further insights.”