People who must leave their homes during the lockdown are being urged to keep getting tested - as a new community testing centre opens in Burton upon Trent on Monday.(January 18)
The testing centre at Hillfield House, Stretton, Burton upon Trent, DE13 0BW, will offer testing seven days a week for people without symptoms. The centre will initially be open from 10am to 4pm each day and will be supported by community testing pop-ups in hotspot areas which see the highest numbers of cases.
Dr Johnny McMahon Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Care and Wellbeing, said: “While everyone should be staying at home as much as possible, there are some people who have a legitimate need to be out and about for example for essential shopping or because they cannot work from home.
“Cases continue to be worryingly high in Staffordshire and we need to do everything we can to protect lives and ease pressure on the NHS this winter. We know that one in three people who have the virus show no symptoms, so that’s why we need everyone who is out and about to get tested on a regular basis to help us stop the spread of infection.
“Testing is quick, simple and free and may will protect the people you care for and the wider community. The new centres will be open seven days a quick so we are asking people who are working during the week to think about making Saturday or Sunday a Testing Day.”
Tests should be booked in advance at Welcome to the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Community Test Sites Appointment System (zipporah.co.uk). People with symptoms or those who have been asked to self-isolate as a close contact of a Covid case should not attend.
The community testing pop-ups will also be available to book via the link.
Councillor Duncan Goodfellow, Leader of the Council, said: “From the outset East Staffordshire Borough Council has played its part in the efforts to tackle the virus and our community testing centre will help identify more people who may unknowingly have the virus, which will in turn help break the chain of infection.
“The new centre is making it even easier to get tested so, if you are out because you cannot work from home, or are leaving home for one of the permitted reasons, then please take the opportunity to book a test. Sticking to the rules and getting regularly tested will help us to curb the persistently high levels of infection, and to protect lives and livelihoods in East Staffordshire.”