Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what testing criteria Public Health England is applying for the testing of potential covid-19 cases; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of widening that testing criteria so that higher numbers of people are so tested.

Details on case definitions are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-initial-investigation-of-possible-cases/investigation-and-initial-clinical-management-of-possible-cases-of-wuhan-novel-coronavirus-wn-cov-infection#criteria

The Stay at Home Guidance states that Public Health England will not be testing people with mild symptoms of COVID-19. Those with mild symptoms are advised to self-isolate and stay at home for seven days from the onset of the relevant symptoms of a new continuous cough and a high temperature. Therefore, people do not need to be tested to act. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-people-with-confirmed-or-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection