The Government is committed to widening access to testing and achieving 100,000 tests a day by appointment, by the end of April. I welcome the news that testing will now be expanded to all essential workers and their households who are now showing symptoms of the coronavirus.
This will help reassure people in South Derbyshire with symptoms and provide clarity. By increasing testing we can help prevent the spread of the coronavirus and protect others including vulnerable people and other essential workers.
The expansion of testing, to essential workers with symptoms in England will include NHS and care staff, teachers, hospital cleaners, public servants, the emergency services, supermarket staff, delivery drivers and other critical infrastructure staff.
Testing facilities at Toyota have been set up in South Derbyshire but there are other nearby testing centres such as Burton Albion. If you are an essential worker with symptoms or one of your employees has symptoms, I would urge you to visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested#arrange-a-test to book a test. Please do not try and turn up at the drive-through testing facilities without an appointment as this will cause delays for those who have correctly received an appointment.
Results from drive-through tests will be texted to you within 48 hours and 72 hours for home testing. Mobile testing units are being rolled out to support drive through testing and can easily be set up in 20 minutes where necessary.
The tests available are only for essential workers. If you are not an essential worker please do not apply for a test but instead self-isolate. If your condition gets worse or you are not better within 7 days then I would advise you to contact the NHS 111 online coronavirus service, https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19/.
Essential workers have been doing a fantastic job, saving lives and ensuring essential services keep running. By working together we can defeat this disease but we must follow advice and stay home (when you cannot work safely at your workplace), protect the NHS and save lives.
