• Anyone experiencing a new, continuous cough; high temperature; and now also a loss of or change in your normal sense of smell or taste can book a test by visiting www.nhs.uk/coronavirus
• 21,000 contact tracers in England now recruited

The government has today announced that anyone with symptoms of coronavirus is now eligible to book a test, ahead of the rollout of the test and trace service.

The expansion in testing eligibility comes after all 4 UK Chief Medical Officers confirmed that anosmia has been added as a symptom of COVID-19. Anosmia is the loss of or a change in your normal sense of smell, and it can also affect your sense of taste.

This means people should self-isolate immediately if they have:

• a new, continuous cough
• a high temperature, or
• a loss of or change in their normal sense of smell or taste

All members of their household must also self-isolate according to current guidelines, unless the symptomatic individual receives a negative test result.

Testing

The extension in testing eligibility comes ahead of the rollout of the new test and trace service and is possible thanks to increased testing capacity across the country as the government expands total testing capacity towards 200,000 tests a day.

The government has more than doubled the capacity of the NHS/Public Health England (PHE) laboratory network, set up 50 regional test centres and 116 mobile testing units, and introduced home testing kits and 3 Lighthouse laboratories.

The number of tests available for the general population will increase as capacity continues to expand.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:

Following the massive ramping up of our national testing programme, anybody with symptoms of coronavirus in the United Kingdom is now eligible for a test.

This is a huge step forward in our plan to slow the spread of the virus, protect the NHS and give the peace of mind these tests can bring.

We will continue to give priority to NHS staff and care home residents and workers in order to protect our most vulnerable.

The tracing element of the service in England, due to be launched shortly, will be supported by 21,000 contact tracers who have now been recruited, and will play a vital role working to reach those who have been in close contact with someone who has developed coronavirus.

The new workforce in England of more than 21,000 contract tracers will be overseen by experts from Public Health England and local government.

PHE Deputy Chief Executive Richard Gleave said:

Test and trace will require a huge team effort bringing together PHE and local government leaders, experts in logistics and thousands of new staff to carry out contact tracing. It’s great to see people from a wide range disciplines coming forward to play their part.

NHS Professionals’ CEO Nicola McQueen said:

We have seen a fantastic response to join the virtual frontline of home-based clinical contact caseworkers for the test and trace service. This service is key to the national response to COVID-19. We know that so many of our bank members, as well as other registered healthcare professionals, are keen to help in any way they can and this unique position will allow them to do just that.

Background information

Anyone in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland experiencing a new, continuous cough, high temperature or a loss of or change in your normal sense of smell or taste can book a test by visiting www.nhs.uk/coronavirus.

Those unable to access the internet can call 119 to book a test in England, Wales and Scotland, or call 0300 303 2713 in Northern Ireland.

A team of PHE public health professionals, linking with the local government sector and other partners, will oversee the contact tracing workforce as well as continuing to manage complex cases.

PHE is working with local government colleagues including the Association of Directors of Public Health, Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers, Local Government Association and UK Chief Environmental Health Officers on this part of the test and trace service.

NHS Professionals, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS Business Services Authority are key partners in delivery of the model helping with recruitment, logistics and integration of the various elements of the service.

This transcript is for the coronavirus statement delivered on 18 May 2020: Coronavirus press conference 18 May 2020

Good afternoon and welcome to today’s Downing Street Press Conference.

I’m pleased to be joined by Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, our Deputy CMO.

I’ll start with the daily update on the latest data on coronavirus.

• 2,682,716 tests for coronavirus have now been carried out in the UK. That includes 100,678 tests carried out yesterday.
• 246,406 people have tested positive, that’s an increase of 2,684 cases since yesterday.
• 9,408 people are currently in hospital with coronavirus, down 13% from this time last week.
• And I’m very sad to report, of those who have tested positive for covid-19, across all settings, 34,796 have now died. That’s an increase of 160 deaths on yesterday.

It goes without saying that we offer our condolences to the friends and family of every individual who has passed away during this coronavirus pandemic.

It is a challenging time and as we chart the right course over the weeks and months ahead, our overriding priority remains to save lives, whilst also preserving livelihoods and allowing people to return, over time and as and when it’s safe, to something resembling a more normal way of living.

On 11 May, we set out a road map to provide the information, the advice and the reassurance to businesses, public services, to other organisations, to employees and to citizens up and down the country.

And I want to thank everyone who is making the adjustments and engaging with us in government to forge the path ahead in a sure-footed and sustainable way. We recognise people will have concerns and questions, and we want to work together with them, and with everyone involved to provide the necessary confidence and reassurance in the next steps that we are poised to make.

That approach is summarised in the slides which we have up on the screen.

You’ll see from Slide 1, and as people will be aware, we have established a new COVID Alert System, with five levels, each relating to the current level of threat posed by the virus.

The alert level is focused on the rate of infection, known as the R value, as well as the total number of coronavirus cases overall.

The alert level helps us determine the social distancing measures that we need to fight the virus. So the lower the level, the fewer or the less restrictive the measures we will need at any given time.

Since the lockdown began, at the end of March, we have been at Level 4 as indicated on the slide.

Thanks to the hard work and the huge sacrifices across the UK, and the progress that we’ve made as a result of that, particularly in relation to compliance with the social distancing measures, we are in the process of moving from Level 4 to Level 3 on the slide. We will do that through a number of very careful and deliberate steps.

Last week, the Prime Minister set out the first of three steps, designed to carefully modify the measures that had been put in place.

By gradually easing certain measures, we can begin to allow people to return to something resembling a more normal way of life. The choices we make, what we are asking the British public to do, and what we’re asking them not to do, are designed to avoid the very real risk of a second peak that would overwhelm the NHS and of course risk turning a temporary economic painful moment for the country into permanent damage to the UK economy.

At every step, we’ll closely monitor the impact of easing restrictions, and in particular the impact on the spread of the virus.

It’s only by collecting and monitoring the data will we be able to take the next step, which is indicated as Step 2 on the slides, and that will be no earlier than June 1st.

I understand it’s natural for people to question why they can’t do one or other thing right now, or why certain distinctions have been made, but in reality you have to look at the package of measures as a whole, mindful of the risk to the R level and taking into account the various economic and social effects combined.

We’ve adopted a balanced approach, guided at all times by the science, and the overriding need to avoid a second peak that could overwhelm the NHS.

It’s true to say making any changes inherently comes with some risk of spreading the virus compared to simply staying at home. But it’s also true that staying in permanent lockdown is itself not sustainable on health grounds or economic grounds.

That’s why we have only eased measures where it can be done with the lowest risk possible. And that’s also why we are watching the impact of every change that we make very closely.

I know the last couple of months have been really tough for families, for businesses, for everyone up and down the UK. But it is only by keeping to the plan, sticking to the rules, even including when those rules change, that we will beat coronavirus for good.

That is why we have asked people to Stay Alert, to Control the Virus to Save Lives as we make changes to the measures in place in England and adjust the government’s advice accordingly.

For the vast majority of people, that still means staying at home as much as possible.

For those that can’t work from home, they should return to work with the arrangements in place to ensure it can be safely and responsibly done.

We’ve also adjusted the advice to allow people to exercise more, to visit public outdoor spaces but staying 2 metres apart from those outside their own household.

As ever, people need to keep washing their hands regularly and carrying out the hygiene measures that we’ve advertised before.

Our advice is to wear a face covering when you are outside the home in enclosed spaces and where it’s difficult to socially distance – for example if going to the shops or travelling on public transport. And if you or anyone in your household develops symptoms, then you still all need to self-isolate.

Now while we’re asking the public to do these things, we in government will keep ramping up the effort that we need to see to get the UK back to a more normal way of living.

With that in mind, today, the Health Secretary announced that anyone in the UK with covid-19 symptoms can now get a test by booking online and I can also report that we’ve now recruited over 21,000 contact tracers and call handlers in England for the implementation of our test and trace programme.

That programme is absolutely key in the next steps we need to take as a country to come through this pandemic safely and responsibly.

Further information

LLW Repository Ltd (LLWR) is pleased to announce the award of a 4 year framework contract, worth up to £65 million, for the treatment of radioactive waste to the following suppliers:

• Active Collection Bureau
• Augean Treatment
• Cyclife UK
• Tradebe Innutec
• Urenco Nuclear Stewardship
• Westinghouse

The scope of the new framework is to provide expertise across the full metallic radioactive waste lifecycle including: project management, expert advice, characterisation, site preparations, dismantling, transport, segregation, treatment, and disposal.

LLWR has more than 10 years’ experience of successfully working with nuclear industry customers to deliver solutions across the radioactive waste lifecycle and provide access to the full range of treatment, logistics, and disposal techniques and technology in the UK, Europe, and globally.

David Rossiter, Head of Waste Management Services for LLWR, said: “This new framework increases the capability available to our customers. It enables the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority group, and wider UK nuclear industry, to access the full range of world-class capability required to effectively deal with the UK’s nuclear legacy and enhances value for money for the taxpayer. I am very pleased with the breadth of expertise and the calibre of supply chain companies available under this new framework”.

LLWR is leading the implementation of the UK Government strategy for the management of solid low level radioactive waste from the nuclear industry and enabling the delivery of the NDA’s strategy for hazard reduction and site restoration. LLWR has been involved in several ground-breaking projects, supporting customers by providing innovative waste management solutions.

At the heart of LLWR’s mission, to manage all lower activity wastes arising from the NDA’s decommissioning programme, is the provision of treatment and disposal services that provide alternatives to disposal and preserve the capacity at the Low Level Waste Repository.

Since 2010, LLWR has recycled over 12,000 tonnes of metal and contributed to significant skyline changes across the nuclear industry and cost savings of £30 million. Safely recycling radioactive metal is a proven technique contributing towards the sustainability objectives of the nuclear industry – already reducing its carbon footprint by over 40,000 tonnes of CO2 to date.

Mr Speaker, with permission, I would like to make a statement on coronavirus.

This is the most serious public health emergency in a hundred years. But through the combined efforts of the whole nation we have got through the peak.

Let’s not forget what together has been achieved.

We flattened the curve and now the number of people in hospital with coronavirus is half what it was at the peak.

We protected the NHS, and the number of patients in critical care is down by two thirds.

Mercifully, the number of deaths across all settings is falling.

This Mental Health Awareness Week is an important reminder that we need to look after ourselves as well as each other, and that if you need support with your mental health, the NHS is there for you.

This is particularly important for frontline staff, and we’ve supported all NHS trusts to develop 24/7 mental health lines.

Mr Speaker, our plan throughout this crisis has been to slow the spread and protect the NHS.

Thanks to the resolve and shared sacrifice of the British people, the plan is working and we are now in the second phase of this fight and I want to update the House on the next steps we are taking as part of that plan.

First, we are protecting the nation’s care homes with a further £600 million available directly to care homes in England and we’ve prioritised testing for care homes throughout and we’ve made sure every care home has a named NHS clinical lead and we’re requiring local authorities to conduct daily reviews of the situation on the ground, so that every care home gets the support it needs each and every day.

All of this amounts to an unprecedented level of scrutiny and support for the social care system, and a level of integration with the NHS that is long overdue.

Second Mr Speaker, the 4 UK Chief Medical Officers have today updated the case definition to include a new symptom.

Throughout this pandemic, we’ve said that if you develop a new, continuous cough or a fever then you should immediately self-isolate.

From today we are including anosmia, which means that if you’ve lost your sense of smell or are experiencing a change in your normal sense of smell or taste, that can be a symptom of coronavirus, even where the other symptoms are not present.

So from today, if you develop a continuous cough or fever or anosmia, you should immediately self-isolate for at least 7 days, in line with the guidelines.

Members of your household should self-isolate for 14 days.

By updating the case definition in line with the latest science, we can more easily recognise the presence of the virus and more effectively fight it.

Third Mr Speaker, we are expanding eligibility for testing further than ever before.

Over the past 6 weeks, this country has taken a small, specialised diagnostics industry and scaled it, at breath-taking pace, into a global champion.

Yesterday Mr Speaker we conducted 100,678 tests.

Every day we are creating more capacity. That means more people can be tested and the virus has fewer places to hide.

Today I can announce to the House that everyone aged 5 and over with symptoms is now eligible for a test.

That applies right across the UK in all 4 nations from now.

Anyone with a new continuous cough, a high temperature or the loss or change of sense of taste or smell can book a test by visiting nhs.uk/coronavirus.

If you’re eligible for a test and you don’t have internet access you can call 119 in England, Wales and Scotland, or 0300 303 2713 if you’re in Northern Ireland.

We will continue to prioritise access to tests for NHS and social care, patients, residents and staff and as testing ramps up towards our new goal of total capacity for 200,000 tests a day, ever more people will have the confidence and certainty that comes with an accurate test result.

Fourth, Mr Speaker I want to update the House on building our army of contact tracers.

Today I can confirm that we have recruited over 21,000 contact tracers in England.

This includes 7,500 healthcare professionals who will provide our call handlers with expert clinical advice.

They will help manually trace the contacts of anyone who has had a positive test and advise on them on whether they need to isolate.

They have received rigorous training, with detailed procedures designed by our experts at Public Health England.

Mr Speaker, they have stepped up to serve their country in its hour of need and I want to thank them in advance for the life-saving work that they’re about to do.

The work of these 21,000 will be supported by the NHS COVID-19 app, which we are piloting on the Isle of Wight at the moment and will then roll out across the country.

Taken together, this means that we now have the elements we need to roll out our national Test and Trace service – the testing capacity, the tracing capability and the technology.

Building that system is incredibly important, but so too are the basics.

We need everyone, everyone, to self-isolate if they have or if someone in their household has symptoms.

And we need everyone to keep washing their hands and following the social distancing rules.

We need everyone to stay alert because this is a national effort and everyone has a part to play.

The goal is to protect life and allow us, carefully and cautiously, to get back to doing more of the things that make life worth living.

That is our goal, we are making progress towards it, and I commend this statement to the House.