A NEW walk-through coronavirus testing facility has opened for people to book appointments in Bridgwater. 

A spokesperson for the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the new site is "part of our ongoing work to make it even easier for people who need a PCR test to get one". 

Testing at the new Salmon Parade site is available for people with Covid symptoms - a high temperature, a new continuous cough, or a loss or change to their sense of smell or taste.

Anyone with one or more of these symptoms should book a test on the NHS website or by phoning 119. 

The new site is accessible to people without a car. 

People who attend the site will be required to follow public health measures when they travel to and from the testing centre, and when they are there. 

This includes social distancing, not travelling in taxis or on public transport, practising good personal hygiene, and wearing a face covering throughout. 

Anyone attending an appointment at the walk-through test site will be provided with guidance on getting to and from the test site safely.

Additional support will be in place for vulnerable groups and people with disabilities.

Testing at the new site started today (Wednesday, January 12), with appointments available daily. 

Jenny Harries, CEO of the UKHSA, said: "This new walk-through site is part of our ongoing work to make it even easier for people who need a PCR test to get one.

"If you have developed a new continuous cough, a high temperature or a loss or change in sense of smell or taste, or you are asked or advised to get a test, please book one and follow any advice you’re given.

"As we return to a more familiar way of life, testing, and isolating when necessary, remain a vital way of controlling the spread of the virus and protecting one another."

Anyone who tests positive will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace.

This will help to identify who they may have been in close contact with to protect others from further transmission. 

The testing centre will also offer Covid-19 tests to people who are asked to get a test. 

People may be asked to get tested by NHS Test and Trace if they are a close contact of a confirmed positive case, or by a clinician, their local authority, a testing pilot, or their work. 

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Free rapid lateral flow testing is available for people without symptoms in England.

Around one in three people with Covid do not develop symptoms, but they can still infect others. 

The UKHSA has encouraged people to take lateral flow tests before meeting other people. 

The agency also says it is "vital" to get vaccinated and take other preventative measures such as regular hand washing, wearing a face mask, and keeping spaces ventilated when meeting people indoors.