Doctors in a South Gloucestershire village have offered to covid test the whole village to help people feel safer.
Dr Tim Chesser said a group of doctors in Elberton started testing village residents last Saturday and that another testing session will take place tomorrow (Wednesday, December 23).
The local doctor said they are aiming to test most of the village, which has 40 houses, in the two sittings as they had around 25 people coming in on Saturday and they have around 35 people booked to come in tomorrow.
Dr Chesser added: "Even with the government restrictions, many are nervous about being asymptomatic spreaders when seeing children, grandchildren or elderly relatives on Christmas Day.
"When performed by a healthcare professional, the tests can pick up seven in ten or more of those who could spread the disease.
"It doesn't mean you are guaranteed free of Covid, so standard safety measures still apply, but it may pick up some people who could unwittingly spread Covid over Christmas."
They are also offering to test people visiting residents in the village, he continued, who will then isolate until the actual visit on Christmas Day.
The doctor said they are asking people to cover the cost of the test, which is £7 and is being carried out by a volunteer healthcare professional, and then they are asking for donations to the local church and village.
He added: "The test results take approximately 15 minutes and the villagers have a socially distanced mince pie and glass of mulled wine whilst they wait for the result.
"It's a chance to say a distant Happy Christmas to neighbours they have barely seen.
"Elberton is a very communal village and the idea is to make people feel safer."
The doctor said that all the test results came back negative on Saturday and that their aim is to identify any asymptomatic people who may be carrying the virus as, even if they just identify one, that could prevent their Christmas bubble having coronavirus.
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The response from the village had been fantastic, he continued, and all the slots for tomorrow have been booked up, having the capacity to test four people in each 15 minute slot.
"People are really pleased as it is an opportunity they have to be proactive and keep people safe," Dr Chesser added. "People feel they have more control.
"We are taking all the precautions and we have air purifiers in the building, as well as hand sanitisers, for instance.
"Even if we just pick up one person, it could save five people getting it [coronavirus] on Christmas day and some of those people are elderly and frail, for whom the risk is huge."
Dr Chesser said that, back in November, they set up a company Breathe Assured to offer affordable coronavirus testing to care homes and schools, among others.
He added they import the tests - which are the same as the ones being offered by the NHS - and that their aim isn't to make a profit, but to make life more normal.
