PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Coronavirus: Screening (15 October 2021)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the Government plans to conduct genomic sequencing of cases of covid-19 to identify variants found in arrivals from overseas when the requirement of a PCR test on day 2 after arrival is removed.

Asked by:
Sarah Owen (Labour)

Genomic sequencing will continue to be part of our border measures to identify new variants. From 24 October anyone fully vaccinated who tests positive on an lateral flow test must self-isolate and take a confirmatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, which will be sent for genomic sequencing. Those who are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated or whose vaccines are not recognised by the United Kingdom must continue to take PCR tests following arrival in England. All arrivals from ‘red list’ countries will continue to take PCR tests following arrival in England, regardless of vaccination status.

Answered by:
Maggie Throup (Conservative)
25 October 2021