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7-Day Daily Testing of Contacts of Covid (DTCC): FAQs 

From Tuesday 14 December, a new national Daily Testing of Contacts of Covid (DTCC) policy is being introduced. People who are fully vaccinated or children/young people aged between 5 and 18 years and 6 months identified as a close contact of someone with Covid-19 – whether Omicron or not – should take an NHS rapid lateral flow test every day for seven days and continue to attend their setting as normal unless they have a positive test result. Children under 5 years are exempt from self-isolation and do not need to take part in DTCC. 

How this applies to our school  

• All eligible staff in education and childcare settings, and all students and pupils aged 5 and above are strongly advised to take seven daily LFD tests if they are identified by Test and Trace as a close contact of a confirmed positive case. It is strongly advised that the daily LFD test is taken before leaving the house for the first time each day. 

• Participating in DTCC will be advisory but is strongly encouraged. This will help reduce transmission and support continued face-face education.  

• The process for identifying contacts has not changed and will continue to be managed by NHS Test & Trace. Schools are not required to add to existing processes for recording test results but are encouraged to promote testing and reporting amongst staff, students, and pupils. 

• DTCC includes primary age children identified as close contacts. This is because being identified as a close contact means a person is at higher risk of having Covid-19 and the additional testing will enable us to better identify infections at an earlier stage. Most LFD tests now only use nasal swabs which are less invasive for younger children. Parents of primary school children should order test kits via pharmacies or online: Order coronavirus (COVID-19) rapid lateral flow tests - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

• Pupils with SEND identified as close contacts should be supported by their education setting and their families to agree the most appropriate route for testing including where appropriate additional support to assist swabbing.