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Apr 2020

Last Updated: 22/04/2020

Coronavirus testing centre to open for Harrogate borough's NHS staff

by Connor Creaghan

| 22 Apr, 2020

A coronavirus testing centre will open in York and will be open to NHS staff in the Harrogate borough to help them get back to work.

A new testing site has been set up at Poppleton park and ride

A coronavirus testing centre will open in York and will be open to NHS staff in the Harrogate borough to help them get back to work.

The drive-through facility will open at Poppleton Park and Ride and will operate on an appointment-only basis for the NHS and other key workers.

It will be piloted for its first few days of operation.

The government has worked with universities, research institutes and companies to open 28 testing sites across the country.

Key workers who test negative for coronavirus can return to work as soon as possible and those who test positive are able to recover.

The testing sites will use PCR swabs to determine whether a person currently has the virus, with results ready in a matter of a few days.

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.

Professor John Newton, National Coordinator for the UK Coronavirus Testing Strategy, said:

“This is a brilliant example of industries and businesses turning their resources to creating and rolling out mass testing at scale, which will help to deliver on our aim of carrying out 100,000 tests a day across the UK by the end of the month.”

Richard Flinton, Chair of North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum said:

“The centre serving North Yorkshire LRF area will be a hugely valuable asset in the region’s fight against the impact of Coronavirus. Making sure these front line staff can support their NHS partners with hospital discharges and residential care providers with managing admissions to care homes as well being able to continue to provide important safeguarding roles is essential. The work they do is saving lives and protecting the health services and the public."