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Click and collect community tests now available

Click and collect community tests now available
09 April 2021

Darlington Borough Council is extending its community testing scheme to allow people to click and collect lateral flow tests from Monday 12 April.

The town was the first in the region to roll out a community testing scheme in December and as of Wednesday 7, has carried out over 28,000 tests.

From Monday, Darlington residents will have the option to visit one of the Council’s six testing sites for an appointment, or book to collect two boxes of lateral flow tests (14 in total) from the sites to take at home.

The new service will be one of several ways people in Darlington can take twice weekly tests as the government has ensured that from today (9 April) everyone in England will be able to access free, regular, rapid coronavirus testing.

Penny Spring, Director of Public Health at Darlington Borough Council, said: “We’re delighted to be able to offer a click and collect service to everyone in Darlington as part of our community testing scheme.

“By making community tests even easier to access, more people will be able to take the tests twice weekly as recommended – which is an essential part of continuing to safely ease lockdown restrictions.

“We are extremely proud of our community testing scheme, which has been recognised as gold standard and was one of the first in the country to make lateral flow tests available on mass.

“The new service will go even further to protect our communities and keep Darlington on the right track.”

Walk-through appointments will still be available at the six testing sites, including the Dolphin Centre, the Head of Steam railway museum and community centres in Firthmoor, Red Hall, Heighington and Middleton St George.

All appointments are for people without symptoms of Covid-19 only.

If you have any Covid-19 symptoms, including a high fever, loss of taste or smell or a continuous cough, do not visit a community testing site.

One in 3 people with Covid-19 do not experience any symptoms and may be spreading the virus without realising. Rapid testing detects cases quickly, meaning positive cases can isolate immediately.

To access self-isolating support, visit www.darlington.gov.uk/self-isolating.

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