Lockdown sees SMART testing for people with no Covid-19 symptoms now focused on key workers

People in Southport and across Sefton are being asked to only go to one of the three SMART testing sites in the borough if they are a key worker or have caring commitments.

Before the current national lockdown Southport Splash World, Bootle Leisure Centre and Aintree Racecourse were holding tests for anyone with no Coronavirus symptoms who wanted to get tested, but the guidance has now changed.

A Sefton Council spokesperson said: “Because the Government’s latest regulations say that people in England must ‘stay at home’ except for essential purposes, only key workers and those with caring commitments during the lockdown should now go for a SMART test.”

This includes people who

work in supermarkets or those shops that can open;
work in in schools or caring environments where on-site testing is not taking place;
are unpaid carers and volunteers;
are in other public-facing roles.

Walk-through SMART COVID-19 testing for people in those groups is now taking place 9am to 6pm, no appointment necessary, at:

Splash World in Southport*
Bootle Leisure Centre
Aintree Racecourse

*Please use rear car park of Dunes/Splashworld, accessible from the Esplanade, opposite the Lifeboat Station.

Check on the live Find a Test map to see if the sites are busy and how long you might have to wait.

Everyone else

A Sefton Council spokesperson said: “Everyone else should be staying at home, not mixing with others outside our household or bubble, and only going out for local exercise and to shop for essentials, which means we don’t currently need a SMART test unless there are specific circumstances.”

Find out what you can and cannot do under the Government’s latest regulations.

People with symptoms

Anyone showing any of the symptoms of