Household rapid testing kits available to collect in Kirkby
Families with primary school, secondary school and college age children, including childcare and support bubbles can collect home testing kits from the Mobile Testing Unit in Kirkby starting this week.
Testing continues to be a vital part of our response to Covid-19, supporting the roadmap set out by the Prime Minister. Although cases are declining, everyone needs to play their part to keep the virus under control while keeping children and young people in school.
As set out in the governments 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.
Testing packs for twice-weekly testing using rapid lateral flow tests are being given for free to all families and households with primary, secondary school and college aged children and young people, including childcare and support bubbles.
Home testing kits can be collected from the Mobile Testing Unit at Hodgkinson Road Car Park, Kirkby on:
- Thursday March 25, 9am to 3pm.
- Friday March 26, 9am to 3pm.
- Wednesday March 31, 9am to 3pm
- Thursday April 1, 9am to 3pm
Adults can collect up to two boxes of home testing kits each.
Cllr Jason Zadrozny, Leader of Ashfield District Council said:
“Community testing is a vital part of the road map out of the pandemic, and the convenience of parents and guardians being able to take tests at home helps in reducing the spread of the virus. Tests are already available for collection at the permanent testing site in Sutton, and this week we are pleased to announce that testing kits will be available to collect in Kirkby on Thursday and Friday this week and Wednesday and Thursday next week.”
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.”
Rapid Testing is also available via:
- through your employer if they offer testing to employees
- at a local community testing site – Lammas Leisure Centre, Sutton
- by ordering a home test kit online - https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests
Anyone with symptoms of Covid-19 should book a test online at www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.
