London, Aug 4 (TIWN) Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said a mass coronavirus testing regime, which also includes the ones who don't show symptoms, is essential to avoid the need for another lockdown, it was reported on Tuesday.

"On some estimates, 70 per cent of people with the disease are asymptomatic, so if you are only testing people with symptoms you are losing the majority of people from your testing strategy," the BBC quoted the former leader as saying to the Times Radio.