Rapid testing service to get mobile unit in North Somerset

Changes are coming to the Covid-19 testing system in North Somerset in May in a bid to give more people the chance to join those already doing twice-weekly tests.

[Information correct at time of publishing. For the latest updates on local Covid-19 measures and announcements, view our coronavirus news articles.]

From Monday 17 May, a new mobile testing unit will replace the testing booth in Scotch Horn Leisure Centre car park, and will visit the town on a Thursday and Friday. Where it will be located is to be revealed closer to the time.  The mobile centre, which is a specially adapted van, will also visit Clevedon on Mondays and Tuesdays, and Weston on Wednesdays, and will tour North Somerset at weekends offering assisted tests and home kit collections.

Until the mobile unit launches on 17 May, the times of the testing site at Scotch Horn will also change.

From Saturday 1 May the council’s testing site at Scotch Horn car park in Nailsea will be open weekdays 8.30am-5.30pm, with late opening until 7.30pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 9am-1pm on weekends and bank holidays.

The centre offers home test kit collections, as well as assisting in testing, and results are sent by text or email within an hour. From 1 May appointments will no longer be needed for assisted testing, although residents will still be able to book at www.n-somerset.gov.uk/rapidtesting to guarantee a time slot.

Regular testing is an important element of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown and we are encouraging Nailsea residents to have twice-weekly tests.

You can also collect rapid home test kits from local pharmacies which include Day Lewis in the High Street, Boots at Clevedon Walk, and Tower House in Stock Way South.

For more information about regular rapid Covid-19 testing for people who do not have symptoms of coronavirus visit www.n-somerset.gov.uk/rapidtesting

Anyone with symptoms of Covid-19 – new continuous cough, loss of or change in sense of taste or smell, or a high temperature – must self-isolate and book a test straight away at www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.