BARNSLEY could be at the forefront of a new county-wide scheme designed to help curb the spread of coronavirus across the borough.
The town will be part of the targeted rapid testing pilot, which will help provide accurate coronavirus test results in just an hour.
The scheme has already been announced for Doncaster and can help test the public without the need for a lab to analyse the results.
Director of public health in Barnsley, Julia Burows, said: “The challenge we currently face is that some people who have Covid-19 don't show any symptoms. This means that they're spreading the virus to other, potentially vulnerable people.
“Rapid testing using the lateral flow tests means we can test high-risk groups in our region, helping us to identify cases and getting people to self-isolate quickly to break the chain of infection.”
Even though coronavirus tests could become easier to access, Julia has urged that residents continue to take preventative measures to protect themselves against the virus – including washing hands, and wearing face coverings.
