Get a test and play your part in keeping your school safe

As children return to the city's schools after the Easter holidays, families are being urged to get tested for coronavirus on a regular basis – and play their part in helping keep the city's classrooms Covid-secure.

Anyone aged 18 or over, as well as secondary school pupils and college students, can get a free rapid test for Covid-19, and are encouraged to do so twice a week.

One in three people with Covid-19 do not have any symptoms but could spread the virus to family, friends or colleagues without knowing it. Rapid testing helps idenfity asymptomatic cases and reduce the spread of infection.

Brenda Wile, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Deputy Director of Education, said: "Making twice-weekly rapid testing part of our regular routine will help stop the spread of Covid-19 and keep this deadly virus out of our classrooms and homes.

“Fortunately the number of cases recorded in school since all children went back last month has been low, and few bubbles have had to isolate. We want to keep it that way so that children can stay in the classroom this term.

"Parents and family members have a key role to play in this and by getting tested on a regular basis you will help keep our schools safe for children and staff."

Free rapid testing is available at:

• The Civic Centre, St Peter's Square, Monday-Friday, 8am-7pm and Saturday and Sunday, 10am-6pm
• The Jamia Masjid Bilal, Newhampton Road West, 10am-7pm daily
• Pendeford Library, Monday-Friday, 8am-6pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 10am-6pm
• The Hub at Ashmore Park, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9am-6pm and Saturday, 10am-6pm
• St Joseph’s Church, Willenhall Road, Monday-Friday, 2pm-6pm.

Meanwhile people can collect free home test kits from:

• The Civic Centre, St Peter's Square, Monday-Friday, 8am-7pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 10am-6pm
• Pendeford Library, Monday-Friday, 8am-6pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 10am-6pm
• The Hub at Ashmore Park, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9am-6pm, and Saturday, 1oam-6pm
• PCR test centres at Showell Road, Blakenhall Resource Centre, Whitmore Reans Library, Faulkland Street car park, and Mountford Lane car park, Bilston between 2.30pm and 8pm daily
• The mobile Covid-19 test unit, which this week is at West Park, 9am-7pm daily
• Bilston Market, 8.30am-2.30pm Monday, Thursday and Friday and 8.30am-4pm Saturday
• Wolverhampton Market, 8.30am-2.30pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and 8.30am-4pm Saturday
• WV Active Aldersley, WV Active Bilston-Bert Williams and WV Active Central during usual opening hours
• Local pharmacies offering the Pharmacy Collect service.

People can collect up to two boxes – containing a total of 14 kits – at a time. The kits contain step-by-step instructions enabling people to complete their test and report their results, whether positive or negative, from the comfort of home. Anyone returning a positive result will be asked to complete a confirmatory PCR test.

Please note, secondary pupils will be provided with test kits through their school.

Anyone who cannot access collect home test kits or get to a rapid test centre can order boxes of tests online at www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests or by calling 119, and these will be delivered to their home.

Please note, rapid testing is not available for people with coronavirus symptoms. Anyone with symptoms, including high temperature, a new or continuous cough, or a loss or taste or smell, should book a PCR test at www.nhs.uk/coronavirus or by calling 119.