The Government has announced that is expanding testing so that anyone aged 5 and above with symptoms can now get tested for Coronavirus. This comes alongside a significant increase in the number of regional test centres, which now stands at 50 and 116 mobile testing units that aim to increase capacity to the level of testing up to 200,000 people per day.
These extra tests will help slow the spread of the virus, allow key workers to return to work safely, and give healthy people the peace of mind they need. The Government will also continue to give priority to NHS staff and care home residents and workers in order to protect the most vulnerable.
“As I said in the Coronavirus debate in Parliament last week, for test, track and trace to be effective, we need to get testing to a sufficiently significant scale – both in the number of tests available and the number of test centres that exist to deliver them. That is how we will ensure the capacity is always hit and is why I welcome the work being done to deliver this” says Antony Higginbotham. “The development and deployment of the NHS app will also be critical”.
If you are experiencing a loss of sense of smell or taste, a new, continuous cough, or a high temperature, you can book a test online by visiting www.nhs.uk/coronavirus
We can all help control the virus if we all stay alert. This means you must:
- Stay at home as much as possible
- Work from home if you can
- Limit contact with other people
- Keep your distance if you go out (2 metres apart where possible)
- Wash your hands regularly
- Self-isolate if you or anyone in your household has symptoms.
