Coronavirus testing of care home visitors will begin in some Scottish care homes from tomorrow.
More than a dozen care homes will trial lateral flow testing of designated visitors, before the process is rolled out across Scotland from mid-December.
The trials will take place at care homes in North Ayrshire, Fife, Argyll and Bute, Inverclyde and Aberdeenshire.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said testing kits will be sent to all care homes from Monday December 14 once guidance and training for the scheme have been developed following the trial.
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The government has confirmed PCR tests will be available for visitors at coronavirus testing centres, as not all care homes are expected to be able to offer the tests to visitors by Christmas.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “This is a positive step for care homes, residents and their families and friends, that will provide another important layer of protection against Covid, alongside the essential PPE and infection prevention and control measures already in place.
“I’m very pleased to say we will be able to significantly accelerate the delivery of testing kits to all cares homes from December 14, following the necessary trial phase to ensure we have the right guidance and training in place.
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“This will require a significant amount of work from care homes, and we will continue to work closely with health and social care partnerships, Scottish Care, CCPS and Cosla as test kits are rolled out to ensure they have the support they need to deliver testing for designated visitors.
“However, it’s important to remember that testing does not replace the other vital layers of protection we have against Covid-19 and all of these – reducing contacts, keeping our distance, wearing face coverings, and vaccines when they come – work most effectively to stop the virus when they are used together.”
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