Emergency measures to protect food supplies in the UK will see thousands of workers at up to 500 critical sites potentially avoid the need to self-isolate if identified as a contact of a coronavirus case.
The move - along with a limited relaxation of self-isolation rules in other key sectors of the economy and vital public services - came as prime minister Boris Johnson faced mounting warnings about the impact of the "pingdemic".
Under the plan to keep supermarket shelves stocked, daily testing will be offered as an alternative to self-isolation in important links in the food supply chain.
Health secretary Sajid Javid said: "As we manage this virus and do everything we can to break chains of transmission, daily contact testing of workers in