As we approach the long Easter weekend and following the easing of national lockdown restrictions, Solihull Council is advising residents to take this next step on the roadmap very cautiously and to keep doing the right things in order to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Two households or up to six people can now meet outdoors, including in private gardens. If you are heading to a park to meet with friends or family, or going to someone’s garden for a catch up, please maintain 2 metres apart from others (social distancing) and use hand sanitiser. Remember to wash your hands thoroughly when you get home.
As we begin mixing more with others outside, community testing remains key in identifying the 1 in 3 people who have the virus but do not have symptoms.
So, if you want peace of mind that you are not passing the virus to others, take a rapid Lateral Flow Device (LFD) COVID test before and after meeting others, building it in to your routine testing twice a week
You can take a free, LFD test at either of our two large community testing centres: North Solihull Sports Centre and Tudor Grange Leisure Centre. Simply book an appointment through the Council website, go to the test centre, take a test and get your results within the hour.
Alternatively, you can get a free LFD test without an appointment at the Council’s COVID-19 community mobile testing unit, which will be out and about this weekend:
ASDA Chelmsley Wood, in the car park:
Thursday 1 April – 10am-2pm
Friday 2 April – 10am-2pm
Saturday 3 April – 10am-2pm
Smith’s Wood Village Centre, Burtons Way, outside the Quids In shop:
Monday 5 April – 10am-2pm
Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms or a positive test result should stay at home and self-isolate immediately for a full 10 days. This guidance still applies even if you have received one or more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
If your positive result was from an LFD test taken at either of our community sites or the mobile testing unit you should also take a follow-up PCR test as soon as possible and within 2 days of receiving the positive LFD test. You must book this via the online national booking system or by phoning 119 to access a test (local sites include Monkspath Hall Road Mobile Testing Unit and Birmingham Airport).
Self-isolation can be difficult, but the Council has local teams who can arrange help and support. This isn’t just financial help, but also, shopping vouchers, fuel top ups, priority delivery slots and or even help with dog walking.
So please – if you need help, just call 0121 704 6793 or visit the Council website.
And if you need help with something we don’t currently provide, please let us know at contacttracing@solihull.gov.uk and we’ll see what we can do to increase our support.
Finally, you may have seen the recent videos circulated on our social media channels where residents explain what it is like living with the condition Long COVID. One of the individuals in these videos has since featured in a recent news article, to further highlight the devastating and long term impact COVID can have and has had on their life.