Daily contact testing study
Information for employers of people taking part in the NHS Test and Trace daily contact testing for coronavirus (COVID-19) study.
Applies to England
About the study
Around 1 in 3 people who have COVID-19 have no symptoms and could be spreading it without knowing. People who have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 are more likely to be infected than those who have not.
A statement in March 2021 from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) suggests that regularly testing contacts of confirmed cases is an effective way to reduce transmission of COVID-19 and could potentially reduce the need for self-isolation by contacts of positive cases.
The study will help Public Health England (PHE) and NHS Test and Trace understand:
- how useful daily contact testing is at finding new positive cases of COVID-19
- whether it has an impact on transmission of the virus
- how we could improve this service if we offered it to everyone in England
The study is led by PHE and funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). Its purpose is to find out if daily testing can replace the need for self-isolating for people without symptoms if their test result is negative.
As an employer you should already have in place control measures to reduce the risk of transmission in your workplace. You will have determined this in your COVID-19 risk assessment. Nothing in this guidance supersedes your legal duties. Please see guidance from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) on working safely during coronavirus.
How the study works
Currently, everyone who’s been notified by NHS Test and Trace that they’ve been in contact with someone who’s tested positive for COVID-19 in England must self-isolate for 10 full days.
NHS Test and Trace will invite people who have been traced as a contact to take part in the study, providing they do not have symptoms.
The study will compare 2 approaches to routine testing of contacts:
- participants in the ‘self-isolation’ group will be given 1 PCR test. They must self-isolate as normal for the full 10-day self-isolation period even if their test result is negative
- participants in the ‘daily testing’ group will be given 7 rapid lateral flow tests to test daily. They will be given 24-hour release from self-isolation if the test is negative. They will also receive 2 PCR tests
Participants will be placed into study groups at random.
Only participants in the daily testing group who continue to test negative and do not have symptoms are excused from the legal duty to self-isolate each day. Participants in the daily testing group will have a legal duty to tell their employer that they’re taking part in the study, and if they stop taking part for any reason.
As an employer, you can ask employees who are taking part not to come into the workplace if you choose.
It is only by taking part in this, and other approved NHS and PHE studies, that participants will be excused from the legal duty to self-isolate.
Find out about the different types of COVID-19 test on NHS.UK.
Who can take part
People who are traced as contacts can take part if they:
- do not have COVID-19 symptoms
- live in England
- are not in full-time education
- are aged 18 and over
- are not under the quarantine rules for arriving in England
What participants in the daily testing group need to do during the study
If participants develop symptoms or test positive during the study, they must self-isolate immediately and wait for the results of their follow-up PCR test.
As contacts of positive cases, participants in the daily testing group have been instructed to follow additional safety measures while taking part.
They’ll be asked to reduce close contact with others as far as possible by only making essential trips outside the home for:
- work or volunteering
- education
- buying food (if no one else can do it for them)
- exercise in an outdoor space
- a medical or personal emergency
They’ll be asked to avoid:
- being in small, poorly ventilated public places for more than 15 minutes
- visiting others indoors
- using public transport, unless for essential trips
- visiting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable, in care homes or hospitals
They’ll be asked to further reduce risk of infection to others by:
- opening windows wherever they can
- avoiding shouting, singing or talking loudly, particularly when indoors
Contact us
If you have any questions about the study that are not covered by this guidance, please email: dcts@phe.gov.uk.
Updates to this page
Last updated 4 June 2021 + show all updates
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Change in eligibility. People who live in areas with a variant of concern (VoC) or variant under investigation can now take part in the study.
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Updated to reflect people cannot take part in the study if they have come into contact with variants of concern or variants under investigation, or if they are in quarantine having arrived from an amber list country, and that employers can now ask participants not to come into the workplace.
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First published.