Living with Covid: Planning beyond virus does not mean dropping all precaution

Reports in the UK last Sunday that free lateral flow tests could be axed within weeks under a strategy of living with Covid were met with a swift backlash. The British government promptly denied the suggestion that people would soon have to pay for the tests.

- Hannah Devlin

The story highlights a gulf in opinions on what “living with Covid” might look like, with some saying it will only be achieved through continued caution and others equating the phrase to ditching all Covid measures and partying like it’s 2019.

It is not surprising – or even undesirable – that the mass testing of asymptomatic people is being reviewed. The policy was rapidly brought in when it made sense to throw everything at Omicron to slow transmission and minimise disruption caused by essential workers having to self-isolate. With case numbers wildly outstripping laboratory testing capacity, lateral flow tests continue to be vital for tracking case numbers.