As the Easter holidays get underway Plymouth school teachers, staff, pupils and parents/guardians are being urged to continue twice weekly testing to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks.
From 29 March residents will be able to mix with people from other households outside – the rule of six applies or up to two households can meet outdoors. Although the risk of COVID-19 spreading outdoors is lower, there still a risk that increased mixing between households could result in outbreaks of the virus.
By keeping up with regular testing residents can reduce the risk of staff and pupils catching the virus over Easter or potentially bringing it back to school following the holidays.
Testing over the holiday includes:
- Testing twice a week at home (for all those are able to)
- Reporting results online as positive, negative or void. This is crucial in helping Public Health England understand the levels of virus across the country.
- Carrying out pre-return to school test. This can be either the night before, or morning of, the first day back.
The testing kits can be collected from three sites in the city (Plymouth Guildhall, The former Seaton barracks site and Plymouth Marjon university) between 2:30pm and 8pm seven days a week.
Plymouth City Council’s Director of Public Health Ruth Harrell said: “Our schools and colleges have worked, and will continue to work, incredibly hard to stay COVID secure so as the strict lockdown restrictions start to ease we are urging parents and childcare bubbles to carry on that work and to get yourselves tested.
“We know that one in three people with COVID have no symptoms, and we also know that it spreads easily within households. That’s why we are asking adults as well as children in the same household or childcare bubble to take a test to keep everyone safe."
If you have symptoms or if you, anyone in your household or support bubble tests positive for COVID-19, you must self-isolate for 10 days to prevent the further spread of the virus. You are also required to book a confirmatory test through www.nhs.uk/coronavirus.