Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason younger children are excluded from the requirement for covid-19 testing when they have been in contact with someone who has had a positive covid-19 test.

Young people are not excluded from testing. The Government's priority is to ensure that protective measures, such as testing, help keep children and staff safe and minimise disruption to face to face education and childcare.

Since Monday 16 August, people who are fully vaccinated or aged under 18 and 6 months are no longer legally required to self-isolate if they are identified as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case. Instead, they are advised to take a PCR test as soon as possible to check if they have COVID-19 and for variants of concern.

Children under 5 who are identified as close contacts are only advised to take a PCR test if the positive case is in their own household as they are likely to find the testing process unpleasant. Recent clinical studies have also shown that children are at very low risk of serious illness if they catch COVID-19. Testing is voluntary but parents and carers are strongly encouraged to participate as testing helps to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in nurseries through asymptomatic transmission.