Surge testing may not be enough to curb Covid variants in UK, say scientists

Local restrictions may be needed, specialists warn, as South Africa strain is identified in London

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Local restrictions should be imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus variants when clusters emerge to avoid local or national lockdowns, scientists have said after the UK's biggest surge testing operation got under way.

In south London, dozens of cases of the South Africa variant of Covid-19 have been detected, chiefly in the boroughs of Wandsworth and Lambeth, leading to what the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said is the largest surge testing operation to date".