• Local authorities will be encouraged to target testing to people who cannot work from home during lockdown.

• Around 1 in 3 people have coronavirus (COVID-19) without displaying any symptoms.

Rapid, regular testing for people without symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) will be made available across the country from this week, with the eligibility of the community testing programme expanded to cover all 314 lower-tier local authorities.

Local authorities will be encouraged to target testing at people who are unable to work from home during the national lockdown.

Expansion of asymptomatic testing will identify more positive cases of COVID-19 and ensure those infected isolate, protecting those who cannot work from home and our vital services. This programme is crucial given that around 1 in 3 people have coronavirus without displaying any symptoms.

The single most important action we can all take to protect the NHS and save lives, is to stay at home.

So far, 131 local authorities have signed up to community testing, with 107 already having started testing in their communities. Many of these, including Essex and Milton Keynes, are focusing on the testing of critical workers and those who must leave home for essential reasons.

In addition to local authorities, NHS Test and Trace will also work closely with other government departments to scale up workforce testing. Many are already piloting regular workforce testing, with 15 large employers having taken up this offer already across 64 sites, including organisations operating in the food, manufacturing, energy and retail sectors, and within the public sector including job centres, transport networks, and the military. An estimated 27,000 tests have taken place across the public sector as part of pilots so far.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said:

With roughly a third of people who have coronavirus not showing symptoms, targeted asymptomatic testing and subsequent isolation is highly effective in breaking chains of transmission. Rapid, regular testing is led by local authorities who design programmes based on their in-depth knowledge of the local populations, so testing can have the greatest impact.

We are now expanding this offer to every local authority across the country, and asking testing to be targeted on workers who cannot work from home during this national lockdown, while asking employers to work with us to scale up workforce testing.

Lateral flow tests have already been hugely successful in finding positive cases quickly – and every positive case found is helping to stop the spread – so I encourage employers and workers to take this offer up. We must all do all we can to stop the spread of COVID, right now.

Targeted, regular community testing using lateral flow tests is highly effective and has already identified over 14,800 positive COVID-19 cases who would not have been identified without targeted asymptomatic testing, breaking chains of transmission in the community.

This latest expansion of the testing programme builds on the millions of asymptomatic critical workers being tested every week, such as NHS patient-facing staff and care home staff. Existing plans for the rapid testing of staff and students in secondary schools and colleges, and staff in primary schools, also remain in place. Secondary schools have set up testing sites and have started to test staff and pupils who remain in school, such as the children of critical workers, or vulnerable children. Primary schools will start to receive their test kits shortly for the weekly testing of their staff.

Lateral flow tests used by the UK government go through a rigorous evaluation by the country’s leading scientists. This means they are accurate, reliable and successfully identify those with COVID-19 who don’t show symptoms and could pass on the virus without realising. Lateral flow tests can return results within 30 minutes, without needing to be sent to a lab.

NHS Test and Trace will now work with each local authority on an expanded community testing plan appropriate for them. This support will be rolled out during national lockdown restrictions, being kept closely under review.

We will continue to work with devolved administrations on their plans for community testing in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Milton Keynes Director of Public Health Vicky Head said:

In Milton Keynes our transmission rates are serious and there’s no single hotspot or outbreak locally that’s driving this – it’s general person to person transmission that we can all help to control. One in 3 people with COVID-19 have no symptoms and could be spreading it without realising it.

Our pilot for frontline key workers is intended to help break transmission by identifying people who are positive for COVID-19 without displaying typical symptoms. By doing this we can help to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases, limit the number of people who might fall very ill, and protect the NHS.

Greg Jackson, CEO and founder of Octopus Energy, said:

Octopus Energy is delighted to be among the first companies to join the pilot to support the government in ramping up mass testing, helping to curb the spread of the virus and paving the way back to a life as normal as possible under the current conditions. We started testing in December and it was so well received by our staff that we’re continuing it this year.

I’m very proud of the Octopus Energy team who have worked incredibly hard to look after our customers this year and also stringently followed all our COVID-19 guidelines whenever they needed to visit the office, with nearly everyone who had to come into the office taking a test.

Lee Sheppard, Director of Corporate Affairs and Policy at Apetito said:

Apetito and its sister company Wiltshire Farm Foods has a critical role in providing food during the COVID crisis. We serve some of the most vulnerable and at risk in hospitals, care homes, nurseries and schools and at home through Meals on Wheels and Wiltshire Farm Foods. During COVID, our services are more important than ever before, as many of our vulnerable customers may be solely reliant upon us for their meal provision.

Ensuring our front-line services are able to continue to operate is therefore crucial. Working with the government to rapidly implement a mass testing programme across our manufacturing and distribution sites has built resilience into our business – as well as reassuring our staff and customers that we were doing everything possible to support their safety whilst at work.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said:

The safety of our workforce has been an absolute priority for this Government throughout the pandemic, and it has been incredible to see businesses go to extraordinary lengths to put the safety of their staff and customers first.

With the expansion of asymptomatic testing for those unable to work from home, added to our comprehensive COVID-Secure guidance, we can keep our economy on the move while giving individuals in key sectors complete confidence that their workplace is safe.

During this difficult period, it is fantastic to see so many major employers taking up the offer of rapid, regular workforce testing, and I’d encourage even more to do so as we pull together to protect our NHS and save lives.

Matthew Fell, CBI UK Chief Policy Director, said:

Rapid mass testing is a key piece of the puzzle when it comes to getting on top of the virus. The health and safety of staff is paramount for employers, which is why they will be right behind this initiative.

This expansion of testing will help more critical workers and those unable to work from home to operate safely, while also catching new cases more swiftly.

Ramping up asymptomatic testing to all workplaces will require hand-in-glove partnership between health services, local authorities and businesses in each and every community.

Cllr James Jamieson, Chairman of the Local Government Association, said:

Local knowledge and expertise has proved vital in combating COVID-19 and councils want to work with the government to develop testing strategies which contain and reduce the virus in every area of the country, and for every section of our diverse communities.

We are pleased that all councils will receive supplies of rapid coronavirus testing kits. It is essential that local deployment of these additional tests are co-ordinated through directors of public health, in order to make best possible use of the flexibility and freedom this will afford them, based on their local knowledge of level and location of infection in their areas.

The latest local authorities to join the community testing programme are:

• Doncaster
• Milton Keynes
• Slough

Essex, covering:

• Basildon
• Braintree
• Brentwood
• Castle Point
• Chelmsford
• Colchester
• Epping Forest
• Harlow
• Maldon
• Rochford
• Tendring
• Uttlesford

• Comes as the UN Secretary-General António Guterres starts a ‘virtual visit’ to UK to mark the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.
• Broad Sanctuary Green in Westminster is officially re-named ‘United Nations Green’ to commemorate the first UN General Assembly meeting at Westminster Central Hall in 1946.

The UK has helped to raise $1 billion for the coronavirus COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) through match-funding other donors, which combined with the £548 million of UK aid pledged will help distribute one billion doses of coronavirus vaccines to 92 developing countries this year.

This vital investment will help stop the spread of the disease and prevent future waves, helping to build back better from coronavirus globally. The UK is using our aid budget, scientific expertise and diplomatic leverage to strengthen global health.

Today’s announcement coincides with a three-day virtual visit to London by the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, as part of the UK’s commemoration of the UN’s 75th anniversary.

Over the last 75 years, the UK has played a leading role in supporting the UN and we are working together to strengthen international collaboration to tackle today’s biggest global challenges, from coronavirus to climate change.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said:

It is fitting that, on the 75th anniversary of the UN, the UK has led with our allies to make one billion doses of coronavirus vaccine available to vulnerable countries.

We’ll only be safe from this virus, when we’re all safe – which is why we’re focused on a global solution to a global problem.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said:

In the midst of a second world war that was far from won, Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt – later joined by leaders of China, France, the-then Soviet Union and other allied powers – courageously set out a vision to free the world of fear and want, through cooperation. This vision became the United Nations and, on this very day 75 years ago, the first meeting of the UN General Assembly was held in London.

At this time of new global turmoil, I am honoured to virtually visit the United Kingdom to mark that occasion, renew our cause of overcoming global challenges together, and celebrate a country that was instrumental in creating the United Nations and which remains, today, a crucial member state, not least in the run-up to COP26 in Glasgow.

Today (Sunday 10 January), 75 years after the first meeting of the UN General Assembly in London, the UK will host a virtual commemorative event which will bring together the UN Secretary-General, Lord Ahmad, and civil society to celebrate the huge achievements of this unprecedented global institution and discuss how to build our collaboration topics including gender and health.

The commemorative event will mark the UK’s role in the founding of the UN, which has negotiated 172 peace settlements that have ended conflicts and over 300 international treaties from human rights conventions to agreements on the use of outer space, the arms trade and the oceans. The UN is currently running 12 peacekeeping missions to address conflict throughout the world.

As a permanent tribute to 75 years of the UN’s work, the lawn next to Westminster Central Hall, formally known as Broad Sanctuary Green where the first meeting was held, will be re-named ‘United Nations Green’.

On Monday 11 January, the UN Secretary-General will virtually meet with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office Ministers Lord Ahmad, James Cleverly, Lord Goldsmith and Wendy Morton, and the COP26 President Designate, Alok Sharma. The Secretary-General will also hold discussions with the Archbishop of Canterbury.

On the same day, the Secretary-General will attend a COP26 roundtable about clean power, alongside the UK Foreign Secretary, COP26 President Designate, and Ministers from across the world. Since 2011, UK aid has provided over 26 million people with improved access to clean energy and is looking ahead with even higher ambition, having committed to invest £11.6 billion of International Climate Finance from April 2021.

Notes to Editors:

• The UK announced at the United Nations General Assembly in September that it would match every $4 pledged to the COVAX AMC by other donors with £1 in UK funding, up to £250 million. Since then, other countries including Canada, Japan and Germany have committed funding to the scheme, reaching the landmark target. In total the UK has now contributed £548 million to the AMC.
• On Sunday 10 January, the UK will host a virtual commemoration event, as part of its contribution to the Secretary-General’s Global Conversation, bringing together a range of participants from the UN and civil societies to continue the momentum behind the Secretary-General’s Global Conversation. The event will be livestreamed here (from 17:00 – 18:00 UK time) and will be live interpreted into the UN’s six official languages.
• From Sunday 10 January – Monday 11 January, the FCDO building in King Charles Street as well as Lancaster House will be lit up blue to commemorate the UN’s life-saving work. The UN flag will also be raised at the FCDO building in King Charles Street, London.
• From Monday 11 January, Broad Sanctuary Green will be renamed as ‘United Nations Green’, which is located next to Westminster Central Hall, London.
• On Monday 11 January, the Foreign Secretary, COP26 President and UN Secretary-General will take part in a virtual climate roundtable which will focus on accelerating the transition from coal to clean power. The UK is working to strengthen international collaboration on the energy transition as part of its Presidency of COP26. The virtual roundtable event will be livestreamed here (from 15:45 – 17:00 UK time) and will be live interpreted into the UN’s six official languages.

• Rare Disease Framework sets out vision to improve the lives of more than 3.5 million people with rare diseases in the UK
• The framework will speed up diagnosis, increase awareness and improve treatment and care
• The new strategy has been designed around the views and experiences of those living with rare diseases

Millions of people with rare diseases, like Huntington’s disease or cystic fibrosis, will benefit from a new framework to raise awareness of rare diseases, speed up diagnosis and improve care and treatment.

The UK Rare Diseases Framework, signed and agreed by all four nations of the UK, builds upon the successes of the previous strategy and was developed in consultation with those living with rare diseases following the National Conversation on Rare Diseases.

Rare diseases often start through unusual patterns of common symptoms that can be hard for a GP to recognise, there can often be trips to multiple specialists before a final diagnosis is reached. This can take years and can have a big impact on patients, their families and the NHS.

The new framework sets four priorities across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland including:

• Helping patients get a final diagnosis faster
• Increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals
• Better coordination of care
• Improving access to specialist care, treatments and drugs

Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock said:

People with rare disease deserve to get the best possible access to care and treatment. Many spend years trying to discover what is wrong so it’s essential we ensure we take every step to accelerate diagnosis and our brilliant health and social care workforce have a thorough understanding of those living with rare diseases.

The UK Rare Diseases Framework has been developed in close collaboration with people with a lived experience. It will build on the UK’s exceptional strength in life sciences, our genomic capability, and of course the huge benefit of having the NHS, to shape our policies on rare diseases in the years to come and improve the lives of so many people.

There are 3.5 million people in the UK with a rare disease, the equivalent of 1 in 17 people.

It is currently estimated there are over 7,000 rare diseases with new conditions continually being identified as research advances. The more well known among them include Huntington’s disease, Ehlers Danlos syndromes, cystic fibrosis and systemic scleroderma, however there are many more which are not as well known or understood, which is why raising awareness is one of the key priorities of this Framework.

Health Minister, Lord Bethell said:

I want the experiences of those living with a rare disease to shape the priorities of government to make sure our policies work for them. We can harness the potential of new technologies, including genomics, to support earlier detection and faster diagnosis of disease, tailor and target treatments

With such a vast range of rare diseases out there, it is hugely important the rare disease community was at the centre of designing the UK Rare Disease Framework.

The National Conversation on Rare Diseases survey, launched by Baroness Blackwood, aimed to identify the major challenges faced by those living and working with rare diseases, and received an amazing 6,293 responses, including from over 5,000 patients, families and patient organisations.

It provided clear evidence diagnosis and awareness of rare diseases, and difficulty in accessing specialist care were some of the challenges consistently seen as the most impactful across patients, their families and patient organisations.

Jayne Spink, CEO of Genetic Alliance UK said:

We welcome the publication of this Framework and look forward to working with the four nations of the UK to develop action plans to deliver its aims. A framework for rare disease policy is necessary now more than ever.

We have powerful genomic tools and exciting research breakthroughs on the horizon that are eagerly anticipated by people living with rare conditions. We hope that this framework can build the pathways that will allow these breakthroughs to realise their full potential in the NHS, across the whole of the UK.

Haseeb Ahmad, President of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) said:

Today’s strategy sets out a welcome ambition for how people with rare diseases can get a fast diagnosis and access to treatments they desperately need.

Cutting edge research means that there will be even more exciting, new treatments developed for rare disease patients. We look forward to continuing our work in partnership with Governments across all four nations to make the ambition of this framework a reality for people with rare diseases and their families.