A mobile testing unit is to be deployed to a Scots town and nearby village in a bid to limit the number of cases and curb the spread of Covid-19 in the communities.
South Lanarkshire council will make testing available to residents of Blantyre and Spittal over the coming days.
Testing can be done at Blantyre Leisure Centre from Friday 5 March and Spittal Community Centre from Monday 8 March.
Both mobile testing units will be open every day from 9:30am to 5:30pm.
The mobile testing units already in place at Biggar Golf Club and Larkhall Leisure Centre remain so until Sunday 7 March.
READ MORE: Sturgeon and Hancock express optimism as cases fall and vaccine to tackle variant expected
Dr Jackie Hyland, NHS Lanarkshire Consultant in Health Protection, said: “Covid-19 can be spread by people who don’t have symptoms or the symptoms are so mild people may not recognise that they have the infection.
“For the benefit of yourself and your community, I would encourage as many people as possible to get a test. The test results will help to detect the virus and limit its spread.
Dr Hyland added: “Wherever you get a test, if your result is negative, it is important that you continue to follow the current guidance including physical distancing, using face coverings and hand-washing to help reduce the risk of spreading the virus.”
Latest Covid statistics
Scotland has recorded 24 deaths from coronavirus and 500 positive tests in the past 24 hours, Nicola Sturgeon has announced.
It brings the death toll under this measure – of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days – to 7,398.
Speaking ahead of First Minister’s Questions, she said the daily test positivity rate is 2.5%, down from 2.6% the previous day.
There are 726 people in hospital confirmed to have the virus, down 24 in 24 hours, and 69 patients are in intensive care, down one.
A total of 1,688,808 people have received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine as of Wednesday morning – up by 26,729 – and 100,058 have received their second dose.
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