Covid-Free Wristbands, Certificates Could Encourage Testing, U.K. Advisers Say

(Bloomberg) --

People who test negative for coronavirus should be given certificates or wristbands to show they are free of the disease and allowed to return to more normal life, U.K. government advisers suggested in a report on mass Covid testing.

Giving incentives will be a powerful way to encourage more take-up of mass testing in England, while the British Royal Family could act as “trusted messengers” in a campaign to persuade people to get tested, the research team said.

The recommendations come from the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), a U.K. government-backed company often known as the “Nudge Unit,” which uses behavioral psychology to change people’s actions and is helping to shape the government’s pandemic strategy.

In a new study, the BIT said Boris Johnson’s government should learn lessons from Slovakia as it seeks to develop a mass coronavirus testing program in England, which began with a pilot project in the northwestern city of Liverpool last week.

In Slovakia, some 3.6 million people were tested for Covid-19 in a single weekend -- 97% of the population aged between 10 and 65 -- in a bid to identify as many positive cases as possible and take them out of circulation.

Slovakia Lessons

BIT policy adviser Kristina Londakova traveled to Slovakia to observe how the program unfolded as part of a team which included William Warr, a health adviser to the British prime minister, and U.K. government testing specialists.

Slovakia Finishes Unprecedented Virus Testing Watched by Europe

In a report published on its website, the BIT said Slovakia’s strategy had been an “enormous success” and it had identified over 38,000 new cases in just two days.

The study said the U.K. government should “bear in mind” the key lessons of Slovakia’s success and said people must be given a “strong incentive to get tested” such as allowing them to get back some freedoms if they test negative.

Testing in Slovakia, which has a population of 5.5 million, was not mandatory but those who tested negative were issued with paper certificates, printed by the state-owned mint. These allowed people to escape a strict quarantine and go to work, shops and outdoors for exercise.

Shops and employers, as well as police, were given new powers to demand spot checks of the certificates. The BIT said this was a major incentive to get tested, and the U.K. could build on it by distributing paper wristbands along with certificates to those who test negative for “easier recognition of whether they can enter venues”.

Save Christmas

It said the government should use “empowering” communications to motivate people to get tested “by creating a spirit of national resistance to the virus”, including “save Christmas” messaging.

“Enlist the Royal Family, the Cabinet, the Parliament, and local government as supporters of the project,” the report said. “Reach out to the community to encourage them to get tested through trusted institutions and leaders.”

People could also be offered extra rewards for getting tested, through lotteries or partnerships with local businesses, the report said.

However, there are major challenges with a national mass testing program. The U.K. should be in no doubt of the “huge logistical commitment” required to make such a policy work, the study said.

In Slovakia, 40,000 people were needed including 15,000 healthcare workers, 8,000 military personnel and volunteers. Those volunteers staffing the program should be offered perks including free parking, free public transport pass or free entry to a museum or gallery.

The BIT also warned against drive-in testing centers, saying they led to long queues and “absurdly long” wait times when used in Slovakia and many were ditched in favor of walk-in centers.

Even the Slovak testing ran into criticism at home, as the government left preparations to the last minute, leading to a shortage of health workers just as it got underway. Some experts are wary that with the testing over, the government may start relaxing restrictions too soon and cases may spike again.

In the U.K., a pilot program was launched last week to test the entire population of Liverpool, northwest England, and Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Tuesday that this could be rolled out to 66 other local areas.

In a televised press conference on Monday, Johnson urged more people in Liverpool to get tested -- after it emerged that just over 23,000 of the city’s 500,000 population were tested in the first three days of the program.

There have been communication issues already. Some Liverpool residents said they were not aware of the pilot until a friend or relative told them. There are also concerns that people on low incomes will not come forward for testing if they can’t afford to self-isolate at home.

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