Public Health England and NHS Test and Trace have announced that\u00a0South Gloucestershire\u00a0will be\u00a0providing\u00a0additional community testing\u00a0for Covid-19, following the identification in the area of the Variant of Concern first identified in Manaus, Brazil (P.1).<\/p>\n
Additional community testing, also known as surge\u00a0testing, will follow the same process that was in place in parts of South Gloucestershire earlier this month. It will invite residents who live in five postcode sectors, who are aged 16 and over and who are asymptomatic (without symptoms of Covid-19), to come forward for testing, as well as people who travel into that area for work or to visit someone they are in a support bubble with.<\/p>\n
The identified postcode areas fall within Bradley Stoke, Patchway and Little Stoke and are different to those that were part of the community surge testing programme which took place between 7 and 21 February. There is no connection between the two programmes.<\/p>\n
The postcode sectors are:<\/p>\n
The testing will be provided at two new community surge testing sites, open 9:00AM \u2013 6:00PM, every day from Monday 1 March, which are primarily designed for vehicles. Additionally, a range of community-based Collect & Drop locations will open on Monday, from 9:00AM \u2013 5:00PM, allowing residents to walk-in to collect a test kit, take it home and complete the test there, and return it for processing. We plan for the programme to run for one week and end on Sunday 7 March, with these facilities also being open every day.<\/p>\n
The drive-in community surge testing sites will be located at:<\/p>\n
The first two community-based Collect & Drop sites, which will be open from Monday 1 March, will be located at:<\/p>\n
On Tuesday 2 March, three additional Collect & Drop sites will be located at:<\/p>\n
Surge testing allows us to find and isolate any positive cases of coronavirus, to help break the chain of transmission, by finding asymptomatic cases and prompting people to self-isolate. Positive results will be followed up with genome sequencing to identify the precise strain so that we can learn more about the disease.<\/p>\n
The one-off testing will use PCR tests, which are analysed in laboratories, rather than lateral flow tests (also known as rapid tests).<\/p>\n
Sara Blackmore, Director of Public Health at South Gloucestershire Council, said:\u00a0\u201cWe are keen that all South Gloucestershire residents in the postcode areas identified take part in this testing, which will help us to identify positive cases and prompt self-isolation, which helps to break the chain of transmission.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do recognise the challenge for residents of undertaking another additional testing programme and want to thank you in advance for your patience and support as we continue to work together to protect our communities from Covid-19.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are working together with local and regional health partners, Public Health England and NHS Test and Trace, to deliver this swift,\u00a0safe and\u00a0co-ordinated response, with\u00a0an enhanced community testing offer available to\u00a0people in and around\u00a0areas where this variant has been discovered.<\/p>\n