A NEW Covid testing site is opening today in Basingstoke after being constructed during the week.

The testing site at Churchill Way Long Stay Car Park has replaced The Anvil testing site which closed on Tuesday.

Residents with Covid symptoms can visit the site to be tested during the morning and, following a deep clean, it will be open again in the afternoon for collection of test kits for people without symptoms.

Testing kits can also be collected from the testing site at South Ham Library, which also offers supervised asymptomatic testing for walk-ins or appointments can be booked on Hampshire County Council’s website.

As of Friday, everyone is now being encouraged to make regular Covid testing part of their weekly routine by testing twice a week, with the government offering free rapid tests to everyone in England.

Hampshire County Council’s director of public health, Simon Bryant, said: “As we see the number of positive cases decline, it’s tempting to think that Covid may soon be a thing of the past, but the virus transmits so easily from person to person, and if we do not continue to exercise caution and do all we can to minimise spread, we may have to live with some form of restrictions for the foreseeable future.

“Don’t forget that one in three people may have the virus but not experience any symptoms, so alongside the Covid-19 vaccine and following ‘hands, face, space’, regular testing will continue to be essential to preventing further spread, helping us to get back to a normal way of life.

“I am therefore urging Hampshire residents to take up the offer of free, regular testing – and make Test-Record-Repeat a part of your weekly routine.”

For those unable to access a testing site to collect kits, there is a new online ordering service at www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests or call 119.

The council is also working with the Department of Health and Social Care to roll-out pharmacy collection of testing kits in Hampshire over the coming weeks.

What to do after the test

• Record your result online or by phone. Instructions on how to do this are included in the test kit.

• If the result is positive, you and your household must self-isolate and you must book a confirmatory PCR test.

• If the test is negative, continue to follow preventative measures for stopping the spread of the virus, including ‘hands, face, space, fresh air’.

There is more information about test results and what to do on the NHS website.

Simon Bryant added: “I would remind everyone who is testing regularly at home that it is very important to record your test result. Secondary school pupils and college students should continue to test regularly throughout the holidays, and should take a test the day before or morning of the first day of summer term, before returning to education.”

Children of primary school age or younger are not being asked to test regularly.

Any adult or child with symptoms of Covid-19 should get a test: book a test online or call 119.