Coronavirus tests including lateral flow tests/devices (LFTs or LFDs), plus PCR tests, will stop being free from April onwards.
That means people trying to access them afterwards will have to pay a fee – unless exempt. And as we approach the date, some people who are trying to access LFTs are being told none are available via the NHS website.
So, what should you do if you need some right now to test whether you’ve got Covid? And what will happen after April 1?
Despite an end to all legal Covid restrictions in England, some hospitals, work places, educational institutions and events are still requiring negative tests before entry. In Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon told MPs that advice for people to test twice weekly will end from April 18.
Here’s what you need to know about free and paid-for Covid tests.
Who gets lateral flow tests and PRCs for free?
New government guidelines say that from April 1, some people will still still be able to get a Covid test for free.
These include:
- Patients in hospital, where a PCR test is required for their care
- People who are eligible for community Covid drug treatments because they are at higher risk of getting seriously ill if they become infected (people in this group will be contacted directly and sent LFTs to keep at home for use if they have symptoms, as well as being told how to reorder tests
- Care home residents
- People working in some high-risk settings, including care homes and prisons. These staff will be able to test regularly for free, whether or not they have symptoms.
Where can you get lateral flow tests?
The first point of contact is the government website. You can still check to see if any deliveries are available. This is a free service until March 31.
Failing that, you can also get a collect code from the government site and show a local pharmacy, school or university, or community buildings such as libraries or Covid-19 testing sites to pick one up.
Bear in mind though that a collect code doesn’t guarantee a kit. This depends on availability. There’ll be a limit to how many you can pick up, and people are being urged not to stockpile.
There’s a postcode checker to find places nearest to you that may offer lateral flow tests.
How much will lateral flow tests cost?
After April 1, most people will have to pay for LFTs unless in the exempt list above.
The government is yet to release details of the new prices of LFTs, but it’s speculated that it will be up to retailers how much they want to charge.
Some reports have said that people getting an LFT to confirm their symptoms will need to pay between £2-£5 for individual tests, with a pack of seven costing £20.
Boots has said it will sell them at £2.50 a pop, £12 for five and £17 for a pack of four, with an option of sending results to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Meanwhile, Superdrug has claimed it will sell at £1.99 for solo LFTs, with Lloyds Pharmacy saying they will do so for £1.89, charging £9.49 for a pack of five.
Other retailers are also set to offer competitive prices.
When will you need to take lateral flow tests?
The legal obligations to show negative LFTs have been removed, but you may be asked to do so in some settings, at their discretion.
For example, from February 21, the government officially removed “the guidance for staff and students in most education and childcare settings to undertake twice weekly asymptomatic testing”.
However, with Covid cases being highest among 0-18-year-olds and with high levels of school absences, some schools are still asking parents to test children twice a week to help curb outbreaks.
Currently, staff in education and childcare settings and students can still access test kits by ordering them online or through their local pharmacy if they wish. HuffPost UK has contacted the Department for Education to ask if there are any plans to provide schools with LFTs after April 1.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We are now moving to living with – and managing – the virus, while maintaining the population’s wall of protection and communicating safer behaviours that the public can follow to manage risk. Decisions on testing in education settings after 1 April will be outlined in due course.”
Other settings that may continue to require proof of negative test after April 1 include care homes, hospitals, universities and work places. Although the UK has scrapped all travel restrictions, you’ll also still need a negative test result to enter certain countries.
As mentioned earlier, free LFTs will still be available to vulnerable groups. This includes over 80s, care home residents and staff, and hospital patients, but visitors are likely to still need to pay for a negative test before entry.
The government is set out to reveal further detail over the upcoming weeks.