Published: Friday 21st August 2020 | 4.24pm
Residents and workers in Cannock are being urged to book a COVID-19 test if they have symptoms of the virus, after a new testing site opens in the town tomorrow. (Saturday 22 August).
Anyone with coronavirus symptoms, however mild, can get a free swab test that takes less than a minute. Tests should be booked or ordered as soon as symptoms begin at www.nhs.uk/coronavirus or by calling 119 and you can expect your result the next day.
Council chiefs welcomed the news and said the walk-through coronavirus facility at Cannock Chase Council’s Members car park on Beecroft Road, means local people now have quick and easy access to testing on their doorstep.
The site is easily accessible without a car. Those being tested will be required to follow public health measures, including social distancing, not travelling by taxi or public transport, practicing good personal hygiene and wearing a face covering throughout (including travelling to and from the testing centre).
The Local Testing Sites are being established to provide local testing for those who are unable to access drive-through centres or for any local residents who have cause for concern.
Councillor Alan White, Staffordshire County Council’s Leader, said: “Making sure that people who have symptoms get tested as quickly as possible is key to our efforts to reducing the risk of a second peak in infections in Staffordshire.
“This new community centre means it has never been easier for people to book a test to help protect themselves, their family and their local community.”
Anyone testing positive for the virus will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace to help them track their contacts. This will help people to identify who they may have been in close contact with, protecting others from further transmission.
Councillor George Adamson, Leader of Cannock Chase Council, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to secure a walk-in testing centre in a central, accessible location here in Cannock.
“It is hugely important that we all do everything we can to prevent a second peak of infections to both help protect lives and our local economy, and I would urge anyone with symptoms, however mild, to book a test today.”
The testing centre will run a pilot session on Saturday 22 August from 14:00 to 17:00, operational on Sunday 23 August from 10:00 to 17:00, and from Monday 24 August it will be open from 08:00 – 20:00 7 days a week.