Are you eligible for regular rapid Covid tests?

If you are a childminder, a foster carer, a bus driver who drives children to school; if you work in a before-school breakfast club or provide after-school childcare, you can access rapid lateral flow tests for Covid-19.

The categories of people now encouraged to routinely take up the rapid tests, that give results within the hour, is growing.

The following people in England now have access to regular rapid lateral flow testing:

• Secondary school pupils and college students
• Staff of primary and secondary schools, nurseries and colleges
• People who live with or look after children at pre-school or nursery, primary and secondary school and college
• People who live with or who care for staff who work in nurseries, primary and secondary school and college
• And anyone who works in professions related to childcare and schools, including child minders, foster carers, breakfast club and after-school club workers, and drivers of children to school or college.

Steve Brown, Director of Public Health Devon, said: "If you're not doing so already, I urge you all to take up lateral flow tests twice a week."

How can I obtain a home testing kit?

Rapid tests can be taken at home using home test kits, available online from the NHS or to collect from NHS testing sites.

They are not yet available to collect from Devon County Council's community testing sites – the council has applied to have them and is waiting to hear from the government.

But anyone eligible for the tests can have them carried out at any of the community testing sites, and will get the results within one hour, by email and text.

"These rapid tests are for people who don't show symptoms," said Steve Brown.

"Routine testing like this is identifying people who are coronavirus positive, even though they showed no symptoms.

"Identifying them, so that they self-isolate, means they are not walking around with the virus giving it to other people.

"With more people now being regularly tested, we're likely to see more positive cases being identified. But that's a good thing if it stops those people giving it to others."

For more information on getting a Covid test – whether or not you have symptoms – visit the Devon County Council website.