Blanket screening for coronavirus of selected groups due after Easter

A blanket screening of selected parts of the population for the COVID 19 virus is due to start after Easter to ascertain how many individuals have undergone the disease without showing any symptoms.

The screening will be undertaken with the help of so-called rapid tests based on detecting anti-bodies to the virus in people’s blood samples.

The tests are to be conducted on several hundred people of all ages.

The result should give the health authorities valuable information regarding the degree of herd immunity achieved and is likely to influence the speed with which the government restrictions will be eased.