New community testing centre opens in Caerau

As community testing moves into its fourth week in Bridgend County Borough, residents of Caerau and Nantyffyllon are being encouraged to help keep their family, friends, neighbours and colleagues safe by visiting an all-new local testing centre.

With no appointments necessary, the walk-in centre will be available at Caerau Athletic Football Club between 24-31 March, and can be used 9.30am-6.30pm Monday to Friday, and 10am-4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

The community testing is designed to identify people who may have coronavirus without knowing it, and prevent them from unwittingly spreading the virus throughout the local community.

To date, more than 1,400 people have been given the all-clear as a result of community testing in the county borough, with just one person proving to be asymptomatic – i.e. they were contagious with Covid-19 without experiencing any of the symptoms.

This is a fast, free, efficient way of checking that you are not unknowingly putting your friends, your family and your community at risk. With no booking required, the tests are aimed at people aged 11 and over who are not already exhibiting symptoms of the virus, and who feel otherwise fit and well.

Because it is possible for people who have been vaccinated to still carry the virus, the testing includes residents who may have already undergone a test or who have received a dose of the vaccine should take part as it is still possible for them to carry the virus unknowingly.

However, people who are shielding do not have to participate. Community testing forms a valuable way of helping to protect our local communities, and I hope that as many people as possible take part.

Council Leader Huw David

At the centres, staff will show people to booths where they can carry out a swab test. Each swab is processed upon the premises, and participants will be contacted with the results within 30 minutes.

If a positive result is recorded, the participant will be asked to self-isolate while arrangements are made for them to receive a confirmatory test along with further advice and support.

Anyone taking part in the tests should not eat for 30 minutes beforehand.

To speed up the registration process, you can also download a Covid-19 QR code app by visiting the Covid-19 webpage at the NHS website. This will enable you to simply scan a QR code at the centre, and will save you from having to fill in a series of forms.

For more information, visit the council's community testing page.