Coronavirus: Test and trace site to open at Ironbridge Park and Ride

A drive-through coronavirus testing facility, part of the national test and trace initiative, is to open at the Ironbridge Park and Ride in Telford, that will help make it easy and quick for any borough resident to get tested.

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The site will be established over the coming days and will remain open as long as the national effort requires it to be.

Telford & Wrekin Council worked with Government and the NHS, providing them with a number of suitable sites to choose for a permanent testing site, which will serve people in the borough and surrounding areas.

Each site was assessed for accessibility and security; also additional signage is being installed by the Council to prepare the site.

People in the borough experiencing a new, continuous cough, a high temperature, or a loss of or change in their normal sense of smell or taste, can book an appointment on the NHS website or by calling 119 to be tested for whether they currently have coronavirus.

Councillor Shaun Davies, Telford & Wrekin Council leader, said: “We have worked very hard and fast, with Government and other partners, to help set up this test centre.

“I would like to say thank you to the Council staff that have worked to make this happen alongside the political leadership of the Council, we are proud to be doing our part in helping the borough tackle coronavirus.”

“The site makes testing easily available to anyone who needs it in Telford and Wrekin.

“Anyone who develops symptoms can quickly get a test and find out whether they need to self-isolate with their household or safely return to a more normal life.”

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

To allow the testing site to operate, the Ironbridge Park and Ride service will no longer run. The impact of this will be kept under review as part of the Council’s recovery focus work in district centres around the borough.

Liz Noakes, the Director of Public Health at Telford & Wrekin Council, said: “Test and Trace is the next stage in the fight against coronavirus.

“Working with Public Health England, we will be using our local knowledge and expertise to control any outbreak that occurs in Telford and Wrekin. This testing site will be central to getting people tested easily and then help us understand if there are any outbreaks in Telford and Wrekin.

“It’s really important that everyone understands how the scheme works and people do the right thing and self-isolate if they are contacted by NHS Test and Trace.”