Johnson, who is expected to confirm plans to relaunch international travel and open sections of the economy later on Monday, said the new mass testing programme would break the chain of transmissions and spot cases without symptoms. As much of Europe enters new lockdowns to tackle surging cases, Johnson has set out a staggered plan to ease restrictions in the coming months, a huge boost for one of the worst-hit countries during the pandemic. The increased testing will help health officials to track the pandemic as the country slowly reopens from a strict four-month lockdown. Under the current plan international travel will not resume until May 17 at the earliest. A reopening of schools in March has also not yet led to a spike in cases, despite increased testing.

Source: Otago Daily Times April 05, 2021 07:30 UTC