Bassetlaw families can now access home Covid tests

Bassetlaw households with children of school age will now be able to pick up home testing kits in the ongoing fight against Covid-19.
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Whole families and households with primary school, secondary school and college age children, including childcare and support bubbles, are eligible for two rapid Covid-19 tests per person, per week from the district’s rapid community test sites.

Tests are available to collect from Manton Club and Retford Road in Worksop and The Buttermarket and Retford Town Hall in Retford where adults may also complete a free asymptomatic test should they wish.

Bassetlaw District Council said that testing would continue to be a vital part of its response to Covid-19, supporting the roadmap set out by the Prime Minister.

A Covid home testing kit (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)A Covid home testing kit (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
A Covid home testing kit (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)

Councillor Simon Greaves, leader of Bassetlaw District Council, said: “Asymptomatic Testing remains one of the best ways to identify cases of Covid-19 early and break the chains of transmission.

“I would strongly recommend that if you are a parent, carer or in a childcare bubble, you should collect home testing kits from these sites and by testing yourself twice a week, combined with self-isolating if you have a positive result, it will help to bring down the number of cases in Bassetlaw.”

With about a third of individuals with coronavirus showing no symptoms and potentially spreading it without knowing, targeted regular testing will mean more positive cases within households are found and prevented from entering schools and colleges, helping to keep educational settings safe.

As set out in the roadmap, secondary school and college students will now be tested twice a week, receiving three initial tests at school or college before moving to twice-weekly home testing.

Primary school children will not be regularly asymptomatically tested due to low levels of transmission between younger children but will still need to get tested if they have symptoms.

In addition to this, the government has confirmed twice-weekly testing using rapid lateral flow tests will be given for free to all families and households with primary, secondary school and college aged children and young people, including childcare and support bubbles, to help find more Covid-19 cases and break chains of transmission.

Rapid testing detects cases quickly – in under 30 minutes – meaning positive cases can isolate immediately. This can be the difference between children being able to stay in school, or a class being sent home due to an outbreak. It could also be the difference between a workplace having to close for a period or being able to stay open and running.

Jonathan Gribbin, director of Public Health at Nottinghamshire County Council said: “Getting tested regularly, twice a week, will help us to identify cases early and break the chain of transmission. Each positive case identified can help prevent additional people from becoming infected over time.

“Regular testing will help to find cases that would otherwise have gone undetected. Testing, alongside staying at home, following the Hands, Face, Space rules, getting a test if you have symptoms and self-isolating if your test is positive all remain critical to keep reducing the rate of infection and protect each other.

“I would strongly encourage everyone to take advantage of the testing facilities that are now widely available across the county.”

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