The Government has announced increased testing for taxi and PH drivers to help the Government learn more about who is at higher risk and how the virus is spreading.

ONS data showed that taxi and private hire drivers are at a much higher risk of becoming infected and passing away from contracting the virus.

The news means that tax and PH drivers will be included in the NHS Test and Trace programme as people without symptoms working in a ‘high risk’ profession – namely any job where people spend extended periods of time in an enclosed space with a large number of customers.

Dido Harding, executive chairwoman of NHS Test and Trace, confirmed at the Thursday 11 June Downing Street press conference that routine testing of asymptomatic people will now be expanded beyond the health sector.

She said: “We are now rolling that approach out to other high risk, high contact professions such as people who spend significant amounts of time in enclosed space with a large number of people - so taxi drivers, security guards.

“We need to get better at hunting out the virus, both as individuals - if we have the symptoms getting a test - and then NHS Test and Trace needs to get better at targeting our testing in communities and professions where there are likely to be more people who have the disease but aren’t showing symptoms.”