The key workers who will be able to book a covid-19 test online in Wales

It follows a similar move in England where 16,000 bookings were made within 15 minutes of the portal opening last Friday, April 24.

“We have been developing an online portal for testing, which will make the referral and results process much more straightforward,” a spokeswoman for the Welsh Government said.

The online portal falls under government plans to “simplify and speed-up” the system so more critical workers are tested daily.

“This includes military planning and delivery support. We are also working to give people a choice between going to a drive-in test centre or having a home test kit,” the spokeswoman added.

It comes as the military is to begin operating mobile coronavirus testing units which will travel to care homes, police stations and prisons across the UK.

The new units will test essential workers and vulnerable people in areas where there is “significant” demand, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) said.

The mobile facilities can be set up in less than 20 minutes and allow for hundreds of people to be tested each day.

Testing will be available to all 438, 000 critical workers in Wales should a person have symptoms and not able to “observe the seven-day self-isolation or 14-day household quarantining due to business continuity reasons,” a government policy document says.

The policy adds: "At the discretion of medical directors, other workers may qualify as key workers for testing purposes."

And a symptomatic individual who lives in the same household as a critical worker who is not showing symptoms will also be able to book a test – so the critical worker can return to work.

The full list of critical workers who will be able to book an online test soon

Health and social care workers

This includes but is not limited to:

• doctors

• nurses

• midwives

• paramedics

• social workers

• care workers

• other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers

• support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK’s health and social care sector

• those working as part of the health and social care supply chain including producers and distributors of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment

Key public server workers

This includes:

• those essential to the running of the justice system

• religious staff

• charities and workers delivering key frontline services

• those responsible for the management of the deceased

• journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting

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Local and national government workers

This only includes administrative occupations essential to the delivery of the COVID-19 response. Or those delivering essential public services such as payment of benefits. This includes in government agencies and arms length bodies.

Food and other necessary goods

This includes those involved in food:

• production

• processing

• distribution

• sale

• delivery

• It also includes those essential to the provision of other key goods (for example hygienic and veterinary medicines).

Education and childcare workers

This includes:

• nursery staff

• teaching staff

• social workers

• specialist education professionals who must remain active to deliver this approach

Transport workers

This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating. It includes those working on transport systems that supply chains pass through.

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Public safety and national security workers

This includes

• police and support staff

• Ministry of Defence civilians

• contractor and armed forces personnel critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs

• fire and rescue service employees (including support staff)

• National Crime Agency staff

• those maintaining border security

• prison and probation staff

• other national security roles, including those overseas

Utilities, communication and financial services workers

This includes:

• staff needed for essential financial services provision. Including but not limited to workers in:

• banks

• building societies

• financial market infrastructure

• the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors (including sewerage)

• information technology and data infrastructure sector

• primary industry supplies

• key staff working in the following sectors

• civil nuclear

• chemicals

• telecommunications. Including but not limited to: network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services, postal services and delivery, payments providers, waste disposal sectors.