From today, Thursday 8 April, people who have no symptoms can pick up a rapid Covid testing kit from their local community testing centre – making it even easier to take the twice-weekly test to stop the virus spreading.

As restrictions start to ease, regular testing alongside hands, face and space and spending time in the fresh air will be crucial to reducing the rate of infection in Gloucestershire.

Currently, people who can’t work from home or who have to leave the house to care for others, can access regular rapid testing using Lateral Flow Devices (LFDs) by booking a test at one of the county’s four community testing sites.

Under the new arrangements, everyone in Gloucestershire will have the option of using a testing centre or collecting a testing kit, as well as ordering a test online to use at home.

Sarah Scott, Executive Director of Adult Social Care and Public Health at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “Regular, rapid testing for people without symptoms is a key part of our journey out of lockdown.

“Whilst a negative test doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have the virus, it tends to detect Covid when people are most infectious - helping us to detect more cases that we might not have otherwise known about.

“I urge people to make rapid testing, alongside the rules of hands, face, space and fresh air part of their everyday life.”

Here is how you can access your free, rapid regular test:

• Take a test at your nearest community testing centre. There are four in the county, which are located in Gloucester, Cirencester, Tewkesbury and the Forest of Dean. To get tested at a centre you will need to book. https://forms.gloucestershire.gov.uk/CovidTestGlos.

If you have not completed a rapid Covid test before, we would recommend visiting a testing centre to get used to how they work.

• Once you’re confident with the process, drop in and pick up a kit from the Community Collect point at one of the four community testing centres to take at home. The kit will include seven tests and a maximum of two kits can be collected at any time, within the testing sites opening hours. No booking required.

• Drop in and pick up a testing kit from one of the county’s PCR sites between 1.30pm and 8pm. You should not visit outside of these times as the site will be in use for testing people with symptoms

• Order a home test kit online. Visit gov.uk

The Government has also announced the launch of Pharmacy Collect. Pharmacies will be joining this scheme over the coming weeks and you can locate your nearest collection site on the NHS Site Finder map - https://maps.test-and-trace.nhs.uk/.

Those who get a positive result from a test conducted at home, at a testing site, or develops COVID-19 symptoms of a new continuous cough, high temperature and loss or change in their sense of smell or taste, should:

• self-isolate immediately

• get a PCR test to confirm the result

• follow the stay at home guidance