A NEW coronavirus testing site will open on Leicester’s Spinney Hills Park at 10.30am today (Sunday 21 June).
The site is part of city council plans to increase testing capacity in the city and particularly in neighbourhoods. It will on the park for at least five days, and possibly longer if needed.
Until now, testing sites have been accessible by car only, but people who live in the area will be able to walk into this new site. People are being asked to make an appointment for their test and can do so on the NHS website
Tests will be available to local people who are concerned they have symptoms or think they may have come into close contact with someone with coronavirus.
Leicester City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “I am pleased the Government has agreed to set up this facility which will enable people living in the area to get tested quickly and easily.
“At the moment we have information on only a tiny fraction of Leicester’s population – about 1% - that has been tested. We have also been reliant on people self-diagnosing and being able to travel to a testing station. This new site will enable us to start to build a proper picture of what is happening.”
The unit will be accessible from the St Saviours Road entrance to the park, close to the junction with East Park Road. Appointments will be available between 10.30am and 4pm.
People coming for tests are asked to bring photo ID, wear a face covering and ensure they stay two metres away from others.
On arrival people will be met by specially trained, testing centre personnel. They will be taken through the self-swabbing process, and told how to obtain their results, which should be available within 48 hours.
“This is a welcome first-step to increasing testing capacity in Leicester , and it is my intention that there will be more initiatives like this in other parts of the city in coming weeks” the City Mayor added.
The site at Spinney Hills is in addition to the mobile unit currently located in Evington and the more permanent facility at the Birstall Park and Ride site.
People in Leicester who think they have symptoms can book online for a test on the NHS website
When they book they will be made an appointment at the testing site closest to them.