Health bosses in Dudley are now encouraging anyone who needs to leave their home for any reason to get regular, rapid symptom-free Covid-19 tests.

One in three people with Covid-19 don’t have symptoms, but can still pass it on, so those who need to leave home for any reason, such as work, caring responsibilities or shopping are now being encouraged to get a rapid test twice-weekly.

The symptom-free test is a painless, quick and easy throat and nose swab and you’ll receive your results via text or email in around 30 minutes. There are lateral flow testing centres at Dudley Leisure Centre and Saltwells Education Centre, as well as pop-up sessions at:

• Holy Trinity Church Community Centre, Wordsley
• Lifecentral Church, Halesowen,
• St Andrews Church, Sedgley,
• St James Church, Wollaston
• and the Salvation Army Church, Lye.

There is also testing at more than 30 pharmacies across the borough and this number is growing.

Although people are encouraged to book an appointment in advance, you can now also turn up without an appointment and get tested. For details on where you can get a test and to book visit dudley.gov.uk. Councillor Nicolas Barlow, cabinet member for health and adult social care, said:

"One in three people don’t have any symptoms and will not know they have the virus, so regular, rapid testing is a vital part of the fight against Covid-19.

"We are now encouraging anyone who leaves their home for any reason, whether it’s work, caring responsibilities or shopping to get tested twice-weekly. Rapid symptom-free testing will find these hidden cases, helping to prevent it spreading to loved ones, friends of work colleagues.

"Testing is one of the crucial factors in reducing transmission and beating this virus, along with the vaccination programme and, of course, us all continuing to follow social distancing guidelines and remembering hands, face, space.

"There are now many community venues and pharmacies offering the tests, so if you need to leave the home for any reason at all, please do get tested regularly to help protect your family and the local community."

Lateral flow tests only measure if someone is infectious at that point in time. If anyone has a negative test and goes on to develop any symptoms, they must self-isolate immediately and arrange a standard test at one of the borough’s four testing sites by visiting nhs.co.uk/coronavirus, or by calling 119.

Anyone who has a positive test must self-isolate immediately and follow the advice given by the local contact tracing team or the national test and trace service. It is vital people identify contacts to help stop the spread of the virus.

Anyone who has had a confirmed positive result for COVID must not book a symptom free test until after 90 days from the date of the positive result.