Covid: More pinged workers eligible for daily tests instead of isolation
BBCMore critical workers will be able to take daily tests rather than isolate when they are identified as a close contact of someone who has Covid.
The government said 1,200 extra sites would be established, with prisons, waste management and the armed forces among the sectors prioritised.
Some 800 sites are already being set up for police, firefighters, supermarket depot staff and some other industries.
Several sectors have warned of staffing shortages caused by 10-day isolations.
A total of 618,903 contact tracing alerts - popularly known as pings - advising people to self-isolate for up to 10 days were sent from the NHS Covid-19 app in England and Wales in the week to 15 July.
Daily testing for certain critical sectors in England was launched on Monday as an alternative to self-isolation for some workers. The government has not said how many sites are currently up-and-running but that it expected 500 would be set up this week.
Tesco is understood to be working through the details of the new scheme, while Morrisons said it was contacting staff who had been pinged to sign up for testing on a voluntary basis, but did say that it was ready to start.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said daily contact testing would play a "vital role" in helping to "minimise the potential for disruption caused by rising cases, while keeping staff protected".
When all 2,000 testing sites are open, 800 will deal with food industry, transport and Border Force workers, as well as police and fire services.
The other 1,200 will be for people employed in prisons, waste, defence and veterinary medicine, plus the energy, pharmaceutical, telecoms, chemical, communications, water, space and fish industries.
Workers will be allowed to take the tests, rather than isolate, whether or not they are fully vaccinated.
The announcement of the scheme's extension came after the number of Covid cases reported in the UK fell to below 25,000 on Monday.
Frontline health and care staff who are fully vaccinated and identified as a close contact of someone with Covid have a separate system, allowing some to go to work, subject to strict testing rules.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak are among workers self-isolating after the health secretary tested positive last week.
From 16 August, anyone in England who is fully vaccinated - and unvaccinated under-18s - will be able to take PCR tests - which are sent to a laboratory to be checked - instead of self-isolating, if pinged.
Similar rules come into force in Scotland from 9 August - and in Wales from 7 August.