A permanent Covid-19 testing sites is being created in Northallerton to support the ongoing work to expand testing across the UK.
North Yorkshire County Council is working with Serco and Sodexo, which operate the sites, to secure locations across the county for permanent walk-in testing sites.
Local testing sites are already operating in Scarborough and Harrogate with other sites in Northallerton, Selby and Skipton due to open in the coming weeks.
The new sites are indoor facilities that allow walk-in appointments and do not require a vehicle, different to the drive-through mobile testing units where testing is inside a vehicle.
The local testing sites offer Covid-19 testing from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week, and require a booked appointment.
You can book a test through the County Council website at www.northyorks.gov.uk/book-coronavirus-covid-19-test or by calling 119.
Local testing sites have a range of 10 miles for booking purposes.
Mobile testing units will continue to run alongside these with a range of 75 miles. North Yorkshire County Council is working with the Department for Health and Social Care to widen the 10-mile area.
Richard Flinton, chair of North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum (NYLRF), said: “It is great news for the county that these permanent sites are now available to our residents and more are planned. It means there is more capacity for testing and therefore more control over the spread of this virus.
“These sites allows us to place our mobile testing units in other areas that need them the most, allowing more people the opportunity to book a test. With the bad weather starting and the temperatures dropping, the indoor sites will offer the staff on site a warm and dry place to undertake the testing.
“The new local testing sites are secure facilities that allow those without a vehicle to be tested quickly, giving them more choice and being more accessible to all residents. Collectively, we can make a difference and help to bring about considerably reduced rates of coronavirus infection.
“We urge people to self-isolate from the onset of symptoms or from when being instructed to by the NHS test and trace service and continue to self-isolate while waiting for a test result. Details of support for residents in self-isolation can be found on our website.”
More information on testing and coronavirus is available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19 and
www.northyorks.gov.uk/coronavirus or www.northyorks.gov.uk/help-you-during-coronavirus-covid-19
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