A new test site for people with symptoms of Covid-19 will launch on Saturday in Earlestown.
The Local Testing Site will be in place seven days a week at Fairclough Street Car Park and open to the public from Saturday 6th February. The centre will be open from 8am to 8pm every day.
Anyone with symptoms of Covid-19 – a new, continuous cough, a high temperature or a loss of sense of smell or taste – should book an appointment for the site online at www.gov.uk/coronavirus or call 119.
You will be given a booking reference number or QR code which you must give in to the centre. Without these you will not be given a test.
Councillor Anthony Burns, Cabinet Member for Wellbeing, Culture and Heritage, said: “Our rates of Covid-19 remain high compared to most other areas and while they continue to fall we need to make sure that as a community we are doing all we can to reduce the spread. It’s absolutely vital that if you have symptoms you book a test and your household isolates, which means do not go to work, school, shopping, mix with anyone else or leave the house for exercise.
“We all have a duty to play to stop the spread, reduce the numbers and protect others as we know this virus does not discriminate and can cause severe illness in people who are otherwise fit and healthy. So please get tested and isolate if you have symptoms – there is a wealth of support out there from St Helens Together, from support with food and prescriptions to online advice to help those eligible claim £500 if you have to isolate.”
The new site will complement the mobile testing units being deployed across the borough every week and the regional testing centre at Haydock Park Racecourse. The site offers traditional tests called PCR which deliver results after 24 hours.
The site can be accessed on foot and if you want to travel by car please use one of the nearby car parks and walk to the site. It is strictly by appointment only.
Between Saturday and Monday Bridge Street will be closed but access to Fairclough Street for testing will be allowed so please follow the diversions
Instructions on how to take the test and how and when people they will receive their results will be provided when taking the test. People without a booking will be turned away – without exception.
This site does not offer the quick tests for people who do not have symptoms. These are only available at St Mary’s Market, Grange Valley Youth Centre and Chester Lane Community Centre.
Motorists are advised to use St John Street and Tamworth Street car parks as an alternative as the car park will closed from tomorrow, Thursday for set up ahead of the opening.
To find out more about testing visit www.sthelens.gov.uk/letsgettested and to get support from St Helens Together call 01744 676767 or find out how to claim for £500 isolation support visit www.sthelens.gov.uk/coronavirus
