Community testing extends further in the Borders

Next week the rapid coronavirus (COVID-19) testing for people without symptoms will be rolled out further in the Borders.

Current testing facilities in Hawick will be extended and new Community Testing sites will open in Jedburgh, Kelso and Eyemouth. In the coming weeks this programme will be rolling out to other local Borders towns.

The community testing initiative, in partnership with the Scottish Government, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Borders Council and the Armed Forces, aims to drive down local COVID-19 rates and transmission by identifying positive cases more quickly, as people can spread the virus to others before symptoms appear.

Anyone who lives, works or volunteers in the Borders can book a Covid test by calling 01896 826370 or emailing ATS.Service@borders.scot.nhs.uk.

Testing will be available from 10:30am to 3pm, 7 days a week. However the daily locations of Community Testing sites will vary so please check the timetable and book your test up to 24 hours in advance of attending a testing site.

Community Testing sites will be located at the following local Fire Stations next week.

Hawick	15 - 18 March
Jedburgh	17 - 19 March
Kelso	19 - 21 March
Eyemouth	20 - 22 March

Further locations will be announced soon and updated weekly.

These sites are only for people without symptoms. Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms should book a test in the usual way via nhsinform.scot or by calling 0800 028 2816.

Residents will be tested using lateral flow devices (LFD), which can give people their results quickly. Any positive cases will then be confirmed by a laboratory PCR test.

Anyone who receives a positive test result will be asked to self-isolate, along with their household. Dedicated support is available to anyone who needs to self-isolate, including food packages and financial support through calling your Community Assistance Hub on 0300 100 1800.

The Self-Isolation Support Grant is a grant of £500. It will be offered through the existing Scottish Welfare Fund, administered by local authorities in Scotland. You can find out more on the Scottish Government website.

Further advice and information on what support is available for people who need to self-isolate is available from www.nhsinform.scot

Dr Tim Patterson, Director of Public Health at NHS Borders and Scottish Borders Council, said: “Almost a third of cases of Covid-19 occur in people who do not have symptoms of the virus. The Community Testing Programme helps identify these ‘silent cases’, which would otherwise go unnoticed, and break chains of transmission by providing quick and easy testing for members of the public without symptoms.

“Anyone in the Borders can be tested at one of the local Community Testing sites, which will be rolled out to other towns across the Borders in the coming weeks.

“We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who still needs to attend their place of work (because their job does not enable them to work from home) or regularly comes into contact with other people. For example those who are working in essential retail and factories or people who need to provide help to vulnerable family members.”

Stephen Gourlay, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Local Senior Officer for East Lothian, Midlothian and Scottish Borders, said: "I am delighted to be working with our partners in the Scottish Borders and this approach will support communities by helping to identify more cases of the virus with a view to suppressing it even further.

“People booking a test through NHS Borders will be able to visit one of our fire stations participating in the first phase of the initiative where they will be provided with directions on how to safely complete a test. Twelve of our sites will become available over the coming weeks as part of a planned rolling programme across the Scottish Borders.”

A Spokesperson from the Ministry of Defence added: "The Armed Forces in Scotland have been extremely proud to support communities in the Borders since the start of the pandemic. We have provided testing facilities to support the NHS in Scotland, including the Scottish Borders Council area, and we hope that the community will continue to use the facilities we are still running alongside NHS Borders."

Public Health Minister Mairi Gougeon said: “Targeted testing in this way will help us find and isolate more cases, by targeting resources with communities where there is high prevalence, helping us to identify more cases of the virus and giving us all a better chance of stopping it from spreading.

“However, a test only tells us if we are positive at the point in time that we are being tested. It does not mean that we can stop following all of the rules and guidelines which are in place to protect all of us. Testing is only one layer of protection against this virus – all others, including vaccination and the FACTS guidance work to greatest effect when they work together, so it is essential people continue to follow the restrictions currently in place to suppress COVID to the lowest possible level in Scotland.

“This expansion has been made possible as our testing capacity has increased but it could not have happened without the support of our local partners, and everyone involved in Scotland’s testing programme, from diagnostic staff to sample takers, and I want to pay tribute to each and every one of you as we continue to work to suppress this virus together.”

For further information on the Community Testing Programme within the Borders please visit: /patients-and-visitors/community-testing/