Coronavirus testing available this weekend

Details have been released about how people with suspected Covid-19 symptoms can access drive-through tests in Hertford this weekend.

A pop-up site at County Hall has been commissioned by local NHS organisations and will be open from 10am until 4pm.

The tests are only effective if people are swabbed in the first three days of having suspected coronavirus symptoms. They cannot detect whether somebody has had coronavirus in the past. Symptoms are a fever and/or a cough. Testing for coronavirus helps people who test negative to return to work more promptly and helps scientists to understand how the virus is spreading.

Tests are available for:

• people who have to go out to work because they can’t work from home and are in the first three days of having coronavirus symptoms 
• people aged 65 and older who are in the first three days of having suspected coronavirus symptoms
• NHS staff, social care staff and essential workers (as defined by the government at www.gov.uk/coronavirus) who are in the first three days of having coronavirus symptoms
• NHS staff, social care staff and essential workers who are self-isolating for 14 days because a household member has suspected coronavirus symptoms
• anyone aged over five years old in the first three days of having suspected coronavirus symptoms who lives with anyone listed above.

To book a test, go online to www.gov.uk/coronavirus and enter your details. You will be sent a booking code. The booking system will only show you details of test locations which are available in the following 24hrs. This means that if you want to be tested on Saturday you'll need to apply on Friday. When all the available tests slots have been booked the site will not appear on the national list.

Additional tests are added to the site regularly, so it#s recommended that people check throughout the day if you are not successful at booking a local drive-through or mail-order test the first time you try.

Anyone who attends a test site will need to take some sort of ID with them, either to confirm that they are aged over 65, their own key worker ID badge or documents, or should be accompanied by their household member who is a key worker. A mobile phone will also be useful. 

A limited number of daily mail-order tests are available for people without access to transport and these can also be requested through www.gov.uk/coronavirus.