Is it time to stop testing kids with twice weekly lateral flow test tests

Every time a child gets a tickly throat or symptoms of covid they are required to have a test, as per the rules of the many schools and nursery nurserys across the UK.

Some schools after a report is made also require a PCR test from a local pop-up testing centre.

Last week the Government announced the end of the Plan B restrictions introduced in December to combat the Omicron variant – including mask-wearing in shops and on public transport, and guidance to work from home where possible.

But The Mail on Sunday has learned that despite this move towards normality, some primary schools are still requiring children to take up to five Covid tests a week.

Parents report that nurseries are requesting one-year-olds take PCR tests if they develop a runny nose, even though Government guidance has never required this.

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Our investigation has also found some primary schools are requiring entire year groups of pupils as young as five to take a PCR test every time a staff member tests positive.

Campaign group Us For Them say it is supporting parents across the UK who are ‘desperate and confused about constant tests on their healthy children’.

The findings come as the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health warns of ‘huge disruption’ caused by testing protocols in schools, and Covid-related absences reach the highest level since the Omicron wave began.

What to do if your child has symptoms

If your child has any of the main symptoms of COVID-19, even if they’re mild:

Get a PCR test (test that is sent to a lab) to check if they have COVID-19 as soon as possible.
Your child should stay at home and not have visitors (self-isolate) until you get the test result – they can only leave home to have the test.

According to the latest figures, more than 323,000 children in state-funded schools are currently off for Covid-related reasons, representing 3.9 per cent of the pupil population.
Other parents have described the act of testing their children as ‘agonising’. ‘It’s a two-man job to hold my two-year-old down and stop her head bobbing forwards,’ said one mother from North London.

‘There’s a serious risk I might injure her with the amount she wriggles and squirms while I try to get the swab in. She hates every minute of it.’

‘Omicron is mild for children, and many of them will be asymptomatic.

‘Testing can be a traumatic experience and should only be done if absolutely necessary, such as if children are ill enough to need medical attention.’