Weekly Covid testing for most students and staff ditched from today

The government will remove its advice for staff and students in “most education and childcare settings” to test twice a week for Covid from today, Boris Johnson has announced.

The prime minister told the House of Commons it was time to move from “government restrictions to personal responsibility”, announcing that the legal requirement to self-isolate following a positive test will end this Thursday.

Those testing positive will still be advised to stay at home if they test positive until April 1, and after that to exercise “personal responsibility”.

And from today, the government is “removing the guidance for staff and students in most education and childcare settings to undertake twice weekly asymptomatic testing”, Johnson said.

This will apply to all settings except special schools and special further education settings, where staff and students will continue to be advised to test weekly.

From April 1, the government will also end “free symptomatic and asymptomatic testing for the general public”, though those in the oldest age groups and the most vulnerable will still get free symptomatic tests.

Johnson also announced today that almost all remaining legal provisions in the 2020 Coronavirus Act will expire on March 24, with only four remaining in place for six months.