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Everyone living or working in the lower Cynon Valley will be offered a coronavirus test, making it the second area in Wales to introduce massive testing after Merthyr Tydfil .
All residents and workers without symptoms will be offered repeat tests for coronavirus between Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 20, to help find more positive cases and break the chains of transmission.
Anyone with coronavirus symptoms should book a test online or by calling 119 to attend an existing test site for a PCR self-transfer test.
The tests will be conducted in partnership between the Government of Wales, the Government of the United Kingdom, the council of Rhondda Cynon Taf, the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Board of Health and the Ministry of Defense, with logistical support from the Armed Forces.
The areas in the lower Cynon Valley covered in the mass test pilot are:
- Abercynon
- Mountain Ash East
- Mountain Ash West
- Penrhiwceiber
- South Aberaman
Check the coronavirus rates where you live:
The two main test center locations are the Cynon Valley Indoor Bowls Center at Mountain Ash and the Abercynon Sports Center. More sites will be announced in the coming days.
The Welsh government said these areas have seen some of the highest coronavirus cases per 100,000 in recent weeks and identifying residents who may have the virus but have no symptoms could be key in helping to stop its spread. See the latest infection rates for all of Wales here.
(Image: PA)
The mass testing program will use lateral flow devices (LFD). Everyone who attends any of the asymptomatic test sites in the Lower Cynon Valley will receive a test using the devices that can change the results in around 20 to 30 minutes.
If a person tests positive, they will be asked to return home so that they can isolate themselves immediately.
The Welsh government said it will closely monitor the number of positive results to help them better understand the spread of the virus, which in turn will inform actions to prevent further transmission.
Health Minister Vaughan Gething He said: “The pilot at Merthyr continues to do well with almost 8,000 tested in the first six days of the pilot. I am pleased that we are now able to extend the mass testing program to the Lower Cynon Valley.
“As the Merthyr Tydfil pilot has shown, massive testing gives us a greater understanding of the prevalence within the community and how many people have coronavirus. It also identifies how many people in the community are asymptomatic.
“The coronavirus has not gone away and we all have to work together to combat this deadly virus. I want to thank everyone at Merthyr Tydfil who have made the pilot project a success and would encourage the people of the lower Cynon Valley to get tested.”
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council Leader Andrew Morgan said: “After several weeks of planning work, the Welsh Government has confirmed that the mass test pilot will soon be available to residents in the lower Cynon Valley area following its extension from Merthyr Tydfil.
“This is an integral part of our fight against the virus, as it gives us a greater understanding of the prevalence and level of transmission within our communities.
“Following the positive progress seen in the downward trajectory of daily cases and positivity rate after local measures and the national shutdown of firewalls, it is now important that we identify and isolate the asymptomatic within our communities to break those chains of transmission as cases are now starting to rise again. “
Dr. Kelechi Nnoaham, Director of Public Health, Cwm Taf Glamorgan University Board of Health, He said: “As the university health board, we are supporting area-wide testing in Merthyr Tydfil and the lower Cynon Valley with a new type of test that provides results in 30 minutes.
“The rate of Covid-19 infection remains very high in our communities, and by participating in this testing program, people from the lower Cynon Valley can play an important role in protecting everyone in our communities.”
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