Thousands of workers whose jobs put them at higher risk of catching coronavirus will be tested even if they have no symptoms.
Taxi drivers, cleaners and retail assistants will be part of the pilot.
The Department of Health said it was to see if there is demand for testing among these kinds of workers, and to examine how they are affected by COVID-19.
Businesses including taxi firm Addison Lee, BT, services company Mitie and pharmacy giant Boots have agreed for their employees to be part of the scheme.
Councils in Bradford, Newham, Brent and Oldham will also select groups of people deemed to be high-risk for asymptomatic testing.
Advertisement
It came as the latest figures show the test and trace system is reaching fewer people.
In the seven days up to Wednesday 1 July, 22.6% of people with COVID-19 referred to it were not spoken to by contact tracers – a slight rise on the 22.1% the system missed the previous week.
More from Politics
Of those contacted, 29.2% still did not have their close contacts reached and told to self isolate – a rise from 25.8% the previous week.
The system informs how ministers plan to ease the nationwide lockdown, with anyone who gets a positive coronavirus test referred to a contact tracer who collects details for those they may have passed the virus on to and then gets in touch to advise them to self-isolate and get tested too.
But a mobile app able to track other people someone with COVID-19 may have infected, such as strangers next to them in a park, is still some way off.
Boris Johnson promised a "world-beating" test and trace system by June – but the app is now not expected to be delivered until the autumn.
The prime minister has also come under fire for claiming there "isn't one" country in the world with a "functioning contact tracing app" – despite contact tracing apps already being available in countries like Germany, France, Australia, Singapore and Latvia.
[contf]
[contfnew]
sky news
[contfnewc]
[contfnewc]
