24 April 2020, 12:40

Coronavirus mobile testing centre opens on the Isle of Wight for key workers and critical services staff

A drive-through coronavirus (Covid-19) mobile testing facility is to open on the Isle of Wight as part of the government’s UK-wide drive to increase testing for thousands more NHS and other key workers.

The Island facility has been arranged through close partnership working of the Local Resilience Forum (LRF) to enable key workers having started to experience symptoms of Covid-19 within the past five days, to access local facilities, rather than having to travel to the mainland.

The mobile testing unit is visiting Medina Leisure Centre car park, on Fairlee Road, Newport, on Saturday (25 April) until Tuesday (28 April).

Local organisations are being contacted directly to encourage their key workers who have experienced symptoms of Covid-19 themselves, or who have a household member who have experienced symptoms, within the past five days and are self-isolating, to contact 03333218865 to obtain an appointment to visit the facility.

If people are eligible key workers, they can also call 03333218865 to obtain an appointment.

Advice will be given to individuals on contacting the appointment booking line about eligibility, what they need to bring (including employment identification) and details about what to expect on the day.

Council leader Dave Stewart said: “I’d encourage everyone who meets the eligibility criteria – a key worker or critical service colleague – who has themselves or a member of their household experienced Covid-19 symptoms in the past five days, to book and appointment and take a test.

“It is essential our vital key worker network across the whole Island is supported so that they can continue the truly remarkable work they’ve been undertaking over the past month.”

The site sits alongside a rapidly expanding network of testing sites being set up around the UK and is operating on an appointment-only basis for NHS staff and other key workers.

The facility will be piloted for its first few days of operation.

Contact Information

Helen Wheller
Isle of Wight
helen.wheller@iow.gov.uk

Notes to editors

Who is a key worker?

All NHS and social care staff, including hospital, community and primary care, and staff providing support to frontline NHS services (for example accommodation, catering) and voluntary workers.
Police, fire and rescue services.
Local authority staff, including those working with vulnerable children, adults and victims of domestic abuse, and those working with the homeless and rough sleepers.
Defence, prisons and probation staff, and judiciary.

Frontline benefits workers.
Other groups of critical workers, including those delivering critical medical, energy, utility, transport and food supplies in both the public and private sector.

More detail around key workers eligible for testing can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-extend-testing-for-coronavirus-to-more-frontline-workers?utm_source=7985db27-978c-4d78-b1e5-81071a367576&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications&utm_content=daily

Required ID:

Key workers attending the drop-in session will need to bring their work ID with them to access the service.
Household members will need to be accompanied by a key worker with their work ID.
A smartphone is also recommended as this is part of the process that you will have to go through once you are on site.

This follows the launch of the government’s partnership with universities, research institutes and companies to begin roll-out of the network of new labs and field testing sites across the UK, with 35 testing sites opened to date.

This network will provide thousands more PCR swab tests — which are used to identify if you currently have the virus — for critical key workers, starting with NHS front line staff. This means those who test negative for coronavirus can return to work as soon as possible, and those who test positive are able to recover.

The government is also urgently working on setting up a home-testing service for critical key workers, supported by Amazon's logistics network and other commercial partners.

Guidance on coronavirus testing for frontline workers who are self-isolating: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested#arrange-a-test
On 27 March the government announced the launch of new testing programme for critical key workers: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-launches-new-drive-on-coronavirus-tests-for-frontline-nhs-staff
On 2 April the government set out its strategy to increase testing to 100,000 tests a day across the UK by the end of April: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/health-secretary-sets-out-plan-to-carry-out-100000-coronavirus-tests-a-day
On 15 April the government announced that all care home residents and social care staff with coronavirus symptoms will be tested as capacity is built up: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-offer-testing-for-everyone-who-needs-one-in-social-care-settings
On 17 April eligibility for key worker testing was expanded to include the police, the fire service, frontline benefits workers and those working with vulnerable children and adults, among others: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-extend-testing-for-coronavirus-to-more-frontline-workers
Link to ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): scaling up testing programmes’ strategy: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-scaling-up-testing-programmes