Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what the arrangements are for the COVID-19 pilot scheme in which Cabinet members may avoid self-isolating after being contact traced.

There are currently two pilot schemes on contact testing. The general public daily contact testing clinical study is a randomised control trial trialling at-home testing led by Public Health England. The workplace daily contact testing pilot evaluation scheme is evaluating the operational feasibility of daily contact testing in workplaces. The Cabinet Office is one of the 20 participating workplaces.

The general public daily contact testing study is comparing two approaches to routine testing of contacts. Participants in the ‘self-isolation’ group are given one polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and must isolate for the full self-isolation period even if they receive a negative test result. Participants in the ‘daily testing’ group are given seven rapid lateral flow tests and can leave self-isolation for 24 hours if the test result is negative and also receive two PCR tests. Only participants in the daily testing group who continue to test negative and do not have symptoms are excused from the legal duty to self-isolate each day. Participants in the daily testing group have a legal duty to tell their employer that they are taking part in the study or if they cease to do so.

For the workplace daily contact testing pilot evaluation scheme, individuals who work at one of the participating workplaces who have been identified as a contact of someone with COVID-19 either in or outside the workplace but not within their own household, can opt to take part in daily contact testing. This involves daily lateral flow tests for each day they attend work for a period of seven days. Participants self-isolate until the first test is taken and if they test positive or they develop symptoms.