The Centre for Health Protection on Friday said scheduled testing concerning specified places as announced on or after 21 February, had been cancelled.

The move came as the government on Friday said it would start distributing rapid antigen test (RAT) kits, instead of issuing compulsory testing notices, to streamline procedures and discover positive Covid cases as soon as possible.

In a statement, it listed 84 sites in locations right across the SAR where compulsory testing had been cancelled.

In the past, people who tested positive using rapid antigen tests needed to submit samples, such as deep throat saliva samples, to confirm the results. To avoid duplication, the government now says it plans to allow RAT positive people to register their results through a planned online system.

The Centre for Health Protection was notified of 21,979 new Covid infections on Friday.