Make getting a test part of your weekly routine

People who must leave their homes to make essential visits during lockdown are being urged to get tested in one of Staffordshire’s Community Testing Centres.

The centres, one in each district and borough are open seven days a week for people without symptoms.

Being open over weekends will give people having to make essential visits through the week more options to get tested regularly.

Dr Johnny McMahon Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Care and Wellbeing, said:

“Everyone in Staffordshire should be staying at home wherever possible.

“However, there are some people who cannot work from home and some people who are making essential visits.

“Many of these permitted visits are to carry out vital caring responsibilities or fetching essential shopping and medical supplies - often to the most vulnerable people.

“For these people we are strongly urging to get tested regularly.

“Getting a test is quick, simple, free and now seven days a week. Making it part of your weekly routine may well protect the people you interact with on a day-to-day basis and the wider community at large.

“1 in 3 people do not display any symptoms – getting tested regularly will give you the peace of mind that you are not unwittingly spreading the virus to people at the most risk.”

For anybody in a Covid hotspot area where numbers of cases are very high, it is especially important that they get tested if they have to leave the house.

The Covid-19 community testing sites and hotspot areas are as below:

There will also be two community testing pop-up sites at various locations supporting the above.

Tests should be booked in advance at  Welcome to the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Community Test Sites Appointment System (zipporah.co.uk) People with symptoms or those who have been asked to self-isolate as a close contact of a Covid case should not attend.