Fenland residents encouraged to 'make rapid Covid testing a habit'

Fenland residents are being encouraged to take twice-weekly rapid Covid tests to help support the roadmap out of lockdown.

As restrictions ease further and we resume parts of life we have all missed, regular rapid lateral flow testing of people without symptoms is fundamental to helping us quickly spot positive coronavirus cases and stop any outbreaks.

Alongside the roll-out of the vaccine, the testing supplied by NHS Test and Trace is at the heart of the Government’s plans to reopen society and the economy.

Dr Liz Robin, director of public health for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said: “Twice-weekly rapid testing is actively helping to identify cases of Covid-19 that would otherwise be missed.

With one in three people with coronavirus showing no symptoms and potentially spreading it without knowing, rapid testing helps to identify positive cases quickly, preventing the spread of infection.

“We need everybody to get into the habit of twice-weekly testing as part of our everyday lives. A one-off test will offer little benefit as it can only provide information about likelihood of being infectious at that point in time.

"Twice-weekly testing will help to keep each other safe and alongside the ongoing vaccine rollout, it will help us to move forward with the roadmap out of lockdown."

In Fenland, residents can get tested in several ways:

Community testing

Lateral flow tests can be taken at sites across Fenland. The tests are taken under supervision of a member of staff who will then process your result for you on site within 30 minutes.

No appointment is necessary, just turn up. The tests can be taken in the following locations:

• Queen Mary Centre, Queen’s Road, Wisbech.

Open 8am to 7pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays.

• King Edward Community Centre, 3 King Edwards Road, Chatteris.

Open Monday and Saturday, 9am to 5pm

• GER Sports and Social Club, Robingoodfellows Lane, March.

Open Tuesday and Thursday, 9am to 5pm.

Collect home testing kits

You can collect tests to complete at home from the PCR testing sites, the rapid testing site at the Queen Mary Centre, Wisbech, and pharmacies that have signed up to offer Pharmacy Collect.

Find your nearest site at: https://maps.test-and-trace.nhs.uk/

You can also order home testing kits online at www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests or by calling 119.

Testing is also taking place in schools, colleges and workplaces.