Pick up free at-home Covid-19 test kits

People who are encouraged to have a regular Covid-19 test to help keep Wolverhampton’s schools safe can now pick up free test kits to use at home.

Anyone who works in a school or college, or who lives with or is in a care or support bubble with someone at school or college, is eligible for home testing.

Also eligible are childcare providers and people who work in an occupation that is critical to the reopening or schools, colleges and childcare providers.

Free Covid-19 test kits are available for collection from Pendeford Library (between 7am-11am daily), Ashmore Park Hub (between 8am-11am on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays) and the Civic Centre (between 10am-1pm on Saturdays and Sundays).

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 from the comfort of home.

Alternatively, people can get tested at one of Wolverhampton's rapid test sites:

• 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, 7am-6pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 10am-6pm
• The Hub at Ashmore Park, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10am-6pm
• St Joseph’s Church, Willenhall Road, Monday-Friday, 2pm-6pm
• Bilston Community Centre, Prouds Lane, Thursday, Friday and Monday, 8am-4pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 10am-4pm.
• Rocket Pool Strengthening Families Hub, Rocket Pool Drive, Bradley, until Sunday, 8am-6pm.

Emma Bennett, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Director of Children's Services, said: "Everyone has a role to play in helping to keep our city's schools Covid-secure, and regular testing is a key part of this.

"All secondary pupils should be having a Covid-19 test twice a week and will be supplied with test kits by their school.

"Alongside this, all staff working in schools and childcare providers as well as the family members of staff and pupils should get tested regularly – and they can either do this at one of our various rapid test centres or by picking up kits to test themselves at home.

"A third of people with Covid-19 don't have any symptoms of it, but they could still spread the virus onto others, and so by taking part in regular testing you will help us find more of these asymptomatic cases, help prevent the spread of Covid-19 and help keep our city's schools safe."

More information on rapid testing for people without symptoms of Covid-19 is available at www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/coronavirus-testing. Please note that home test kits are only available for people who fall into the categories listed above.

Rapid testing is not available for people who have symptoms of Covid-19, including a fever, a new continuous cough or a change to the sense of taste or smell, or people who have been told to isolate. Anyone with symptoms should immediately self-isolate and book a PCR test by visiting www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or calling 119.

Latest figures show there were 60.2 new cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people in Wolverhampton over the seven days to 21 March. That means 158 people in the city tested positive for the virus in that seven day period – though the true number of new cases will likely be higher.