People are urged to have regular tests for Covid

DEVON’S public health chief is encouraging every adult in Devon to take a rapid, lateral flow test for coronavirus twice a week to try and keep the rates of coronavirus low.

Infection rates in Devon are the second lowest of any upper tier authority in England, at 11.2/100,000 in the seven days to April 3, and the lowest that they have been in the county since mid-September and just five per cent of the infection rates in early January.

At a lower tier level, Torridge, South Hams and North Devon are in the bottom ten in England, with no area of Devon currently reporting more than three cases a day on average.

But Steve Brown, director of public health, said that while ‘things are looking pretty good in Devon’ and that there was a positive impact at the moment, there was a note of caution.

Speaking at Thursday’s Devon County Council health and wellbeing board, he said: “I encourage all residents without symptoms to get tested twice a week. There are now many ways to access testing to suit your particular circumstances either through home testing kits or mobile testing units.

“Testing is particularly important if you leave home to work or volunteer, or if you’re a carer for instance.

“If you test positive, you’ll be asked to self-isolate for ten days.”

The Council has arranged for mobile community testing in Ashburton, Axminster, Barnstaple, Bideford, Buckfastleigh, Crediton, Cullompton, Dartmouth, Dawlish, Exeter, Exmouth, Great Torrington, Holsworthy, Honiton, Ilfracombe, Ivybridge, Kingsbridge, LyntonLynmouth, Newton Abbot, Okehampton, Seaton, South Molton, Tavistock, Teignmouth, Tiverton and Totnes.

Alternatively, people can collect home test kits from any of the council’s mobile testing sites, so that they can take the lateral flow tests at home, or home test kits can also be ordered from the NHS to be delivered to people’s home address.