improve github actions gha tests on main branch

[valeriupredoi]

Description

Changes from #242 that went into pyfive now ported to main

Before you get started

• ☝ Create an issue to discuss what you are going to do

Checklist

• This pull request has a descriptive title and labels
• This pull request has a minimal description (most was discussed in the issue, but a two-liner description is still desirable)
• Unit tests have been added (if codecov test fails)
• Any changed dependencies have been added or removed correctly (if need be)
• All tests pass