24 March 2021
Our community testing programme is at local Fire Stations in Lauder (24 March), Duns (24 – 26 March), Galashiels* (25 – 28 March *at the Volunteer Hall) and Selkirk (27 – 29 March) this week.
Before continuing to tour the Borders next week with testing facilities available at the following local Fire Stations:
| Selkirk | 29 March |
| West Linton | 29 & 30 March |
| Peebles | 30 March - 1 April |
| Innerleithen | 31 March - 1 April |
| Newcastleton | 2-3 April |
| Hawick | 2-5 April |
| Jedburgh | 4-6 April |
These sites provide rapid Covid-19 testing for people without symptoms between 10:30am and 3pm. You can book your test ahead of time by calling 01896 826370 or emailing ATS.Service@borders.scot.nhs.uk.
These sites are only for people without symptoms. Anyone with Covid-19 symptoms should book a test in the usual way via the NHS Inform website or by calling 0800 028 2816.
Director of Public Health Dr Tim Patterson said: “The more we know about Covid-19 and where it currently is; the better able we will be to contain it and limit its spread throughout our communities.
“Although cases in the Borders are low at present, there are still cases out there. We are specifically trying to identify the 33% of cases in which people do not experience the typical Covid-19 symptoms. The more exposure you have to people, the more at risk you are of catching and spreading Covid-19; even if you have no symptoms and feel fine – you could still be a carrier of the virus.
“This is why we are particularly interested to offer testing to people who regularly come into contact with others such as those who provide care to family or friends or those who work in essential sectors (e.g. food shops and takeaways, supermarkets, manufacturing or transportation) and do not receive regular testing through another route.
“Our community testing programme uses lateral flow devices (LFD), which are quick, easy and provide rapid results. This enables us to find people with Covid-19 who do not have symptoms and support them to self-isolate, therefore limiting Covid-19 from spreading to others.”
Dedicated assistance is available to anyone who needs to self-isolate, including food packages and financial support through calling your Community Assistance Hub on 0300 100 1800.
Further advice and information on what support is available for people who need to self-isolate is available from NHS Inform.
Further information about this testing initiative can be found on the NHS Borders Community Testing Programme webpage.