A scheme allowing key workers to avoid Covid self-isolation in England has been significantly expanded following criticism it did not go far enough.
Police, fire, Border Force, transport and freight staff will now be able to join a daily workplace test scheme, whether they are vaccinated or not.
As many as 10,000 supermarket depot and food factory workers will also be eligible.
Several sectors have warned of staff shortages in recent days.
Currently, most people identified as close contacts of someone with coronavirus have to self-isolate for 10 days.
Police forces, local authorities, transport providers and supermarkets were among those calling for a review of the rules to avoid crippling shutdowns or skeleton operations.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “Daily testing will keep our frontline teams safe while they continue to serve the public and communities across our country.”
From 16 August anyone in England who is fully vaccinated – and unvaccinated under-18s – will be able to take daily tests instead of self-isolating. Similar rules come into force in Scotland from 9 August – and in Wales from 7 August.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has joined leading business figures in urging Prime Minister Boris Johnson to bring this date forward and end self-isolation for close contacts if they are fully vaccinated.
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Growing numbers of people have been told to self-isolate, with almost 608,000 contact tracing alerts sent from the NHS Covid-19 app in the week to 15 July – a record high.
This so-called “pingdemic” has led to shortages of some products in supermarkets and staffing problems for frontline services.
The daily test scheme means eligible workers who are alerted by the app in England – or contacted by NHS Test and Trace – will be able to continue working if they test negative each day, whatever their vaccination status.
The government has announced an extra 200 testing sites to help screen these workers – but it is not clear when these will open.