Where To Get Lateral Flows Before They’re Scrapped This Week
FREE lateral flow tests are being scrapped this Friday. Find out where to get them before you have to pay.
With Covid cases still pretty high, it’s got people turning to Lateral Flows to make sure they’re safe and tested.
As part of Boris’s new plan to live with covid, people will now have to pay to find out if they’re Covid-free, with free tests rumoured only to be available for at-risk groups. People with Covid are also simply being advised to “try” to stay home and “avoid contact with other people” until they feel better and have no high temperature.
From Friday 1st April 2022, free Covid testing will no longer be offered by the Government to people in England. This includes the highest standard PCR tests and the at-home rapid lateral flow test kits.
The exceptions are patient-facing NHS staff, hospice staff, and some prison staff, who will continue to get free lateral flow tests even if they do not have symptoms, but most of the general public will have to pay for them from this Friday.
What about the rest of the UK?
In Wales, from the 28th March, PCR tests are no longer free to the public and will be replaced with lateral flow tests. They’ll be available until June.
In Scotland, it’s been advised to test twice a week while in close contact of someone who’s tested positive. It’s rumoured that testing will stop at the end of April but we’re yet to get confirmation.
In Northern Ireland, rules are completely clear yet, but we’ll update this page once we know more.
Where to get a free Covid test
If you go on the Government website, you’ll see there are no home deliveries available. This is because they’re scaling back free deliveries even before Friday 1st April.
You’ll need to be persistent to get a box of lateral flows, so we recommend sticking to the site and seeing where slots for delivery are available.
According to the Twitter account @LFT_alert, these slots are around 20 to 45 minutes. You may have much better luck if you get up early in the morning to grab a slot and you can even select an option to pick up a test near you.
It’s worth noting that a collect code doesn’t necessarily guarantee a box of lateral flows. Again, you’re best setting off early to grab what’s in stock.
What about PCR tests?
The Government still recommends a PCR even if you’ve tested positive on a lateral flow. From the 1st April, they’re soon to be limited to a small number of at-risk groups. People can still test with a PCR for free if they require one for their care in hospital, to provide access to treatments and to support ongoing clinical surveillance for new variants.
We hope this has given you a better idea of what’s happening with Covid testing. We’ll keep this page up to date with any relevant information to keep you informed.
