Tesco has began selling lateral flow tests in 1,500 stores as retailers adapt to the government’s decision to end universal free testing on March 31.
The Big 4 grocer has sourced the tests from healthcare firm Everything Genetic and has priced them at £2 for an individual test.
Everything Genetic’s chief executive James Price explained the partnership with Tesco would hopefully regulate LFT costs and help consumers who are worried about expenses during the cost of living crisis.
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The healthcare firm aims to maintain test prices to “less than a takeaway coffee” to provide “reliable, accurate and affordable” tests.
The move comes after Boots started selling tests earlier this year for £2.50, which has now gone down to £2 each and are available across 400 of its stores and online.
However, the government’s decision to scrap free tests has been heavily criticised by medical professionals and workers’ unions.
The Alzheimer’s Society explained that care home visitors would have to pay up £73 a month in LFTs in order to see loved ones, imposing a “cruel tax on care”.
Additionally, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has warned that “introducing charges for Covid tests in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis is both heartless and reckless.”
Price added that with rising numbers of Covid cases, people would still want tests to maintain a “peace of mind”.
“As the kits will now be positioned in convenient Tesco retail locations up and down the country, they’ll be readily available at a moment’s notice for anyone wanting to get tested,” Price added.
