Parents urged to continue taking regular rapid tests over summer

Parents and carers of children in Darlington are being urged to continue taking regular rapid Covid-19 tests beyond the end of term and throughout summer to enjoy a safe holiday.

Children and staff at schools, nurseries and colleges have been encouraged to take rapid (lateral flow) tests twice weekly since the spring.

These tests are taken by people without Covid-19 symptoms to protect their families and wider communities, as one in three people who have the virus do not show any symptoms and spread it without realising.

As Darlington’s schools and colleges prepare to close their doors for the summer, there are concerns that young people and members of their households will abandon regular testing during the break.

Parents and carers of children, toddlers and teenagers in Darlington are being urged to remember the importance of taking rapid tests twice a week.

Penny Spring, the Director of Public Health at Darlington Borough Council, said: “Now, more than ever, it is essential to continue taking regular rapid tests to protect our communities in Darlington.

“We are seeing a rise in cases across the borough, particularly amongst younger age groups and their households. The Delta variant has also been identified as the most dominant variant in the town, which is easier to transmit and can easily spread to our most vulnerable communities.

“By continuing to take rapid community tests throughout the summer, especially if you’re planning to travel or meet with others outside of your household regularly, you can play your part to help keep Darlington safe from Covid-19.”

Parents and carers of younger children and toddlers are told to be especially careful, as reports of cases amongst primary schools, nurseries and play groups rise across the town.

Darlington mum of twins, Katy Tate (33), recalls the shock of finding out her daughters (Edie and Mabel, four) had caught Covid.

Katy said: “It was a complete shock to us when the twins tested positive for Covid-19.

“Fortunately, we had enough home tests available for us all to take a test straight away. We really had no idea that the girls were poorly and could have spread the virus further if we had dropped them off at nursery or with my parents.

“Over the next couple of days, Edie and Mabel were a little bit sniffly but nothing more than that. I then lost my sense of taste and smell but it my husband who caught it last and really suffered with it. We all could have so easily spread it further without realising, if we hadn’t taken the rapid tests.”

By taking tests twice a week, you are more likely to be able to identify a positive case before symptoms develop.

The tests, which can be taken at home, provide a result in under 30 minutes.

Darlington Borough Council’s community testing scheme has made free community testing kits available to collect from sites around the town.

Residents who test positive must take a PCR test, self-isolate and report their test results to Public Health England (PHE) via the NHS Test and Trace App or online at https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result.

If you are identified as a contact of a case, you must also self-isolate and arrange to have a PCR test as soon as you can.

For information, advice and support on how to self-isolate properly, visit www.darlington.gov.uk/self-isolating.