Hampshire students encouraged to get a coronavirus test before start of term
Those who are in secondary education or at college can get free tests
Secondary school and college students in Hampshire are being urged to take a covid test before the start of term.
Pupils will be heading back to the classroom on Monday (26 April) and the County Council say they should get checked either Monday morning or the day before even if they do not have symptoms.
The County Council’s Director of Public Health, Simon Bryant, said:
“Cases are gradually going down in Hampshire, and we all want that to continue. We know how easily coronavirus spreads and that people can carry it without symptoms.
"Alongside the COVID-19 vaccine and ‘hands, face, space’, regular testing is essential for breaking chains of transmission, reducing infection risk and keeping our communities safe.
"That’s why it is so important for all secondary school pupils and college students who are not showing COVID symptoms to do a test before returning to education on Monday.”
It is also advised that students should continue getting tested for coronavirus twice weekly.
Children of primary school age or younger who are not experiencing any symptoms do not need to take COVID-19 tests at home – although other members of their household should regularly test at home if they are an adult, or a child of secondary school age or older.
Where to get asymptomatic test kits
Anyone can access free, rapid lateral flow device (LFD) test kits for themselves and their families to use twice a week. Kits can be collected from testing sites and participating pharmacies across the county
Supervised testing without symptoms is also available at community testing sites – drop in on the day or book an appointment
For those who cannot access these options, home delivery of LFD test kits is available onlineor by calling call 119
What to do after taking a test without symptoms
Record your result online or by phone. Instructions on how to do this are included in the test kit.
If the result is positive, you and your household must self-isolate and you must book a confirmatory PCR test as soon as possible.
If the test is negative, continue to follow preventative measures for stopping the spread of the virus, including ‘hands, face, space’.