Gloucestershire County Council has received £2.2million from the UK Government to support the test and trace service in Gloucestershire and reduce the spread of COVID-19.

These extra funds totalling £2,221,773 will be used to further develop and support a tailored plan to manage local outbreaks.

The county council is working closely with the new NHS Test and Trace service, Public Health England, the NHS in Gloucestershire and local partners to build on the work which has already been done to respond to, and manage outbreaks of COVID-19 in the county.

The outbreak control plans will focus on identifying and containing potential outbreaks in areas such as workplaces, hospitals, care homes and schools where people come together in shared spaces.

Plans will make sure that appropriate testing capacity can be deployed quickly and effectively to identified locations to tackle and limit the spread of the virus.

In addition to the regional testing centre at Hempstead Meadow in Gloucester which offers around 700 tests a day, the mobile testing unit which is visiting sites around the county over the next few weeks, will add hundreds more.

Cllr Tim Harman, cabinet member for public health at Gloucestershire County Council said: "This extra funding will help us to contain local outbreaks, and reduce transmission of this virus. Everyone has a part to play and it's important that we all follow the latest guidelines.

"If you have symptoms of the virus please self-isolate and book a test immediately. If you are contacted by the tracing service, it is vital that you follow their advice."

Sarah Scott, director of public health at Gloucestershire County Council said: "We are working closely with our partners to stop the spread of the virus and this additional funding will help us to reduce the spread of the virus if outbreaks should occur."