PARENTS, households and those in a childcare bubble with nursery school children or staff are being urged to have regular Covid tests.

Hampshire County Council has extended the invite to those in close contact with children and staff attending nursery schools who do not have symptoms of Covid, to have regular testing.

Households and those in close contact with primary and secondary children should already be having regular tests.

Residents without symptoms who live with nursery or school children can pick up free lateral flow tests from The Anvil, to self-test at home.

Leader of the county council and chair of the local outbreak engagement board, Councillor Keith Mans, encouraged everyone to “play their part in keeping infection rates down” as we approach the next step in the government’s roadmap out of lockdown on March 29, giving us more freedoms to meet friends and family outside.

He said: “We know how quickly rates can rise, and that around one in three people who have Covid-19 don’t have any symptoms and can spread it without knowing. I strongly encourage residents to take advantage of the wide range of symptomatic and asymptomatic testing options now in place, so that we can identify more positive cases quickly, support people to self-isolate and trace their close contacts.”

He added: “For those without symptoms the government has announced that the option to collect test kits for use at home is expanding to include households of nursery staff and children, as well as primary, secondary, and college staff and pupils.

“These groups, along with anyone who is going out to work, can also drop in to a community testing site for a supervised lateral flow test – there is no need to book and results are available quickly. Everyone covered by these schemes should take up the offer of regular asymptomatic testing twice a week – it’s fast and free, and will give you peace of mind that you and your loved ones are protected.”

Tests can be collected from The Anvil, in Churchill Way, between 1pm and 8pm with no appointment necessary.

For more information visit www.hants.gov.uk/testandtrace.