What was claimed
People in Leicester are being forcibly tested for Covid-19.
Our verdict
This is incorrect. Both Leicester City Council and Leicestershire Police told Full Fact that no such methods are being used in the city. Testing across the UK is optional.
A post shared hundreds of times on Facebook suggests that people in Leicester are being forcibly tested for Covid-19 by council representatives and police officers.
This is not true. Leicester City Council told Full Fact that while they are knocking on doors to offer or make residents aware of local testing while the city is in local lockdown, this is not forced and having a test is entirely optional, as it currently is across the UK.
Leicestershire Police also confirmed to Full Fact that they had had no reports of anyone trying to force entry into a home under the guise of testing or using violence to administer a test. They added that no police officer in Leicester has forced a member of the public to be tested.
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