Wiltshire Council has begun the government’s targeted rapid COVID-19 community testing initiative to help drive down transmission rates.
The council’s programme, in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care, is specifically aimed at asymptomatic people at small businesses, private early years settings and childminders. Eligible people will take a Lateral Flow Test.
With the targeted approach, community testing aims to reduce the prevalence of the virus.
The testing site is at Salisbury, Five Rivers Health and Wellbeing Centre.
The Salisbury test centre is open for people to book a place and cannot accept dropping in. Everyone must book an appointment and not have any symptoms of COVID-19. The self-administered test should take no more than 15 minutes and results should be known within half an hour.
Free testing is available to everyone with COVID-19 symptoms – high temperature, continuous cough or loss of/change in taste or smell. Visit www.nhs.uk/coronavirus or call 119 to book a test.
Those in smaller businesses (employees of 50 or less) who cannot work from home, and private (non-maintained) early years settings and childminders have been chosen because they are not currently involved in any other mass-testing scheme.
Anyone who receives a positive Lateral Flow Test result will automatically activate legal obligations to self-isolate, and may also claim for a Test and Trace payment if they are eligible.