Free Covid tests set to continue for Portsmouth residents

Portsmouth City Council plans to continue to offer residents free lateral flow tests until the end of June

A city council is planning to continue to supply residents with Covid tests after free testing is scrapped.

The government's "Living with Covid" plan will end free testing for most people in England from 1 April.

Portsmouth City Council's scheme will allow anyone with a Portsmouth address to collect five free lateral flow tests a month until the end of June.

The plans will be considered by the city council on Tuesday.

Council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson said: "I'm very worried about infection rates and we need to be supporting people who are being responsible and trying to do the right thing and get tested before seeing vulnerable friends and family members."

He added the government's decision to scrap the provision of free testing was a "disgrace", the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported.

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The number of coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the seven days up to and including 12 March in Portsmouth is 808 compared with 446 the week before.

For comparison, the figure for England is 616 up from 371 the week before.

Collection points are expected be set up at libraries and community centres and would be monitored through an online database.

Helen Atkinson, the authority's director of public health, said it would "ensure people are not dissuaded from taking tests due to the cost of buying them".

A pack of four lateral flow tests bought online will cost about for £17, or one test for £5.99, including delivery.

The scheme which is expected to cost between £316,000 and £365,000 will be paid for from money given to the council under the government's Covid Outbreak Management Fund (COMF).