Hampshire residents urged to take up on offer of free asymptomatic coronavirus testing kits
The tests are now available for everyone in England
From today free asymptomatic rapid coronavirus tests are available to everyone in England.
The government hopes a huge surge in testing will help identify and control variants of Covid 19.
Hampshire County Council is urging residents to take up on the offer of two free Lateral Flow Devices a week to help minimise the spread of the virus.
People are being asked to record the test results.
Simon Bryant, the director of public health at Hampshire County Council, said:
"As we see the number of positive cases decline, it’s tempting to think that COVID may soon be a thing of the past, but the virus transmits so easily from person to person, and if we do not continue to exercise caution and do all we can to minimise spread, we may have to live with some form of restrictions for the foreseeable future.I am therefore urging Hampshire residents to take up the offer of free, regular testing - and make Test-Record-Repeat a part of your weekly routine."
Kits can be collected from Parsons Barracks car park in Aldershot which is open in the afternoon for people without symptoms.
Surrey County Council has been running a free asymptomatic testing service for all over-16s since the start of April.
In Surrey there are 26 sites across the county with the result texted and emailed within around half an hour.
Find out more here: https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/people-and-community/emergency-planning-and-community-safety/coronavirus/testing/symptom-free
You can get the kits online, and from pharmacies: https://maps.test-and-trace.nhs.uk/