UK health secretary Matt Hancock outlines "ramping up" of Covid-19 coronavirus testing
Matt Hancock says testing capacity is being increased across a number of fronts.
"We are continuously opening up new drive-through centres," he said.
"For people who can't get to test centres we are expanding home testing, to bring the test to them.
"We are increasing dispatch of home tests from 5000 a day last Friday to 25,000 a far by the end of this week."
Also talking about the roll-out of mobile testing units manned by the armed forces he added: "All of this has led to an increase in daily testing capacity which now stands at 73,400.
"This has allowed us to extend access to testing."
From today, he said, anyone living or working in a care home in England and Wales will be able to get access to a test whether or not they have symptoms of Covid-19.
Testing will also be extended to all over-65s and members of their households with symptoms and all workers who have to leave home to go to work and their households, again in cases where they are displaying symptoms.
"Expansion of access to testing will help protect the most vulnerable and help keep people safe," he said.
As new figures showed a third of all coronavirus deaths in England and Wales are now happening in care homes Mr Hancock insisted the sector was being supported.
"Of course care homes have been a top priority right from the start," he said.
"We put out our first guidance to care homes in February and we've been working with them throughout.
"By their nature care homes look after and support some of the most vulnerable people anyway, and support some of the people most vulnerable to this disease as well because of the nature of the disease and how it impacts on older people much more than the rest of the population.
"We have strengthened the rules around what happens in care homes and imporved ingection control, and we are also making testing available right through the sector.
"We are now aiming to publish daily data (on cases of coronavirus in care homes) and will keep the focus on what happens in care homes.
"The principle is to be as transparent as possible so we can identify problems as quickly as possible."
Earlier today First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the Scottish Government was moving to advise the use of face coverings as a "precautionary measure" in circumstances where social distancing was likely to be difficult, such as on public transport or in shops.
Mr Hancock said the UK government would not be moving to make such a recommendation at this stage.
"We are guided by the science and the UK government position hasn't changed, not least because the most important thing people can do is social distancing," he said.
He called scientific evidence on the benefit of face coverings – cloth coverings worn by members of the public as opposed to the more robust protection available to healthcare workers – "weak".
Despite issuing her different advice, Ms Sturgeon had also said evidence on the usefulness of face coverings was "limited".
