Dozens of people have taken advantage of Bath & North East Somerset Council’s new mobile Covid-19 testing van, with hundreds of free test kits being given out.
A member of the testing van team with Councillor Dine Romero and Councillor Kevin Guy
The bright green van is visiting high streets, supermarkets and community centres across the area, offering supervised tests or the opportunity to collect lateral flow tests to take home.
The van will be operating until the end of September, helping to pick up positive Covid-19 cases and reduce the spread of coronavirus.
Around one in three people with the virus do not have symptoms and can spread it without knowing it. People can still carry the virus, even if they’ve had both their jabs.
Councillor Dine Romero, cabinet member for Children and Young People, Communities and Culture at Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: “It’s pleasing to see our new van out and about, providing people with tests – and giving advice and information about the Covid-19 and the vaccines. It’s important that people continue to test twice a week.
“They can now do this at home, at our Burton Street site or at our new testing van. If you haven’t had a test before come on down to the van where our experienced team are on hand to help.”
The van’s locations, dates and times are as follows (times are 9am-5pm unless otherwise stated):
Friday 20th August
- Mulberry Way, Mulberry park, Combe Down, Bath (9am-1pm)
- Sladebrook Church, Englishcombe Lane, Bath (2pm-5pm)
Saturday 21st August
- Morrison’s, London Road, Bath
Sunday 22nd August
- Royal Victoria Park, Bath
Monday 23rd August
- Sladebrook Church, Englishcombe Lane, Bath
Tuesday 24th August
- Radstock Working Men’s Club
- Paulton Village Hall
Wednesday 25th August
- Twerton High Street
Thursday 26th August
- Lidl, Lower Bristol Road, Bath (9am-12pm)
- Entry Hill, Bath (12pm-5pm)
Friday 27th August
- Morrison’s, London Road, Bath
Saturday 28th August
- South Road car park, Midsomer Norton
Sunday 29th August
- Guildhall Car Park, Bath
People don’t need to book to take a test. Trained outreach workers will be aboard the van, so people can also turn up and take a test, as well as asking any questions they have about testing, support to self-isolate, vaccination or other COVID-19 queries.
As well as the van, the council also runs a testing site in a shop on Burton Street in the city centre.
The locations of the mobile testing van are published in advance every week here.
