31 March 2021
Following community testing at fire stations in Peebles (30 March – 1 April), Innerleithen (31 March – 1 April) and Newcastleton (2 – 3 April) this week, the programme will begin revisiting towns and offering residents a second opportunity to get a free, rapid Covid-19 test.
Over the weekend testing facilities will be at fire stations in Hawick (2 – 5 April) and Jedburgh (4 – 6 April) before moving to Kelso (6-8 April), Eyemouth (7-9 April), Coldstream (9 & 10 April), Lauder (10 & 11 April) and Duns (11 – 13 April).
These sites provide rapid Covid-19 testing for people who are well and without any Covid-19 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.
Associate Director of Public Health Dr Keith Allan said: “We would encourage anyone in these towns to consider getting a rapid Covid-19 test, even if you have had one previously.
“A lot can happen in a few weeks and around a third of people with Covid-19 show no symptoms, so this is a valuable opportunity to make sure that you really are currently Covid-19 free. It takes about five minutes to get tested using a lateral flow device (LFD) and your results will be sent to you by text message.
“Community testing is part of an important strategy to better monitor and understand how Covid-19 spreads especially in those who do not show typical Covid-19 symptoms during periods of both high and low Covid cases in the community.
“Even though there are only a small number of cases in the Borders at the moment community testing provides helpful data. In fact, a negative result is as useful to us as a positive result. This is so we can more accurately predict future Covid cases and clusters - particularly over the coming weeks and months as lockdown restrictions are eased.”
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.