London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Aug 28, 2025

UK To Expand COVID-19 Tests To School Students As Cases Rise In London

UK To Expand COVID-19 Tests To School Students As Cases Rise In London

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said that more details of the so-called "surge testing" programme will be set out on Friday after the fastest rise in infections was noted among secondary school age children.
The UK government is expanding its COVID-19 Test and Trace plan to cover all secondary school students aged between 11 and 18 in and around London, as the city registered a spike in coronavirus infections in recent days.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said that more details of the so-called "surge testing" programme will be set out on Friday after the fastest rise in infections was noted among secondary school age children.

This group will now be prioritised for testing by the National Health Service (NHS) in the seven worst affected boroughs of London, in parts of Essex that border London, and parts of Kent.

"Looking into the detail, the testing results and surveys show us that by far the fastest rise is among secondary school age children, 11 to 18 year olds, while the rate among adults in London is broadly flat," he said, during a 10 Downing Street briefing in London on Thursday evening.

"But we know from experience that a sharp rise in cases in younger people can lead to a rise amongst more vulnerable age groups later. We've seen that happen before. So we need to do everything we can to stop the spread among school-age children in London right now," he said.

The UK government is scheduled to review the current tiered system of coronavirus lockdown restrictions next Wednesday, when it will decide whether London and its suburbs need to be moved from the current high alert level of Tier 2 to the very high alert level of Tier 3.

The latter would mean hospitality venues only serving takeaway meals and almost any mixing between households being banned.

"We must not wait until the review which will take place on the 16 December. We need to take targeted action immediately," said Mr Hancock.

"Having spoken to the leaders of London's councils, and to the mayor [Sadiq Khan], we have decided to put in place an immediate plan for testing all secondary school aged children in the seven worst affected boroughs of London, in parts of Essex that border London, and parts of Kent," he said.

The minister said that schools will be kept open to not disrupt classes too much but officials will be working with schools and local authorities to encourage secondary school children and their families to get tested over the coming days through mobile testing units.

"I want to urge all those involved to step forward for testing. It is important that 11 to 18 year-olds get tested in these boroughs irrespective of whether they have symptoms – this is a really important point, because we know that you can have COVID – and you can still pass it on – even without symptoms," added Mr Hancock.

The NHS Test and Trace programme has been conducting lateral flow rapid result tests in targeted regions and sectors, such as universities. The move to expand the programme comes at the end of a week which marked the first rollout of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19.

Hancock welcomed the "help on the horizon" offered by the vaccine but urged people to continue to follow lockdown rules and not "blow it now" because the fall in the number of cases has "flattened off", even as numbers begin to rise in and around London.

The warning comes as the UK recorded another 516 deaths from the deadly virus, taking the country's number of deaths past 63,000.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
×