Temporary testing facility for Covid-19 to open in Ribble Valley car park

The new testing facility, located at Ribble Valley Borough Council's Edisford Road car park in Clitheroe, has been organised by the Department of Health and Social Care, working with the armed forces and the NHS.

Testing will begin taking place tomorrow (Tuesday, May 19) to Thursday, May 21, and will be able to accommodate hundreds of people per day.

The Lancashire Resilience Forum wants people to be aware that appointments are required to attend and people can not turn up unexpectedly to be tested.

You can usually book a test the night before through the government's coronavirus testing webpage from around 8pm.

Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, director of public health for Lancashire, said: "We know that this situation is a difficult time for people. Through testing we can understand more about the scale of this situation and help us to bring normal life back again, once it's appropriate to do so.

"Mobile testing sites help us to prioritise certain areas, by adding additional capacity for a short time where it will have the most benefit.

"By testing essential workers and their families if they're showing symptoms, we can keep vital services running at this time and protect the essential workers themselves."

Other testing sites are already in operation at Preston College and Royal Blackburn Hospital.

The Lancashire Resilience Forum are working closely with partner organisations to create additional mobile and satellite testing sites in the county. This includes mobile testing for care home staff.

People experiencing symptoms must follow the government and NHS advice.

You can find out more or book a coronavirus test at: www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-testedWho can be tested

You can apply to get a test if you’re in one of the following groups:

- all essential workers including NHS and social care workers with symptoms (see the full list of essential workers)

- people over 65 with symptoms

- people with symptoms going to work who cannot work from home (for example, construction workers, shop workers, emergency plumbers and delivery drivers)

- anyone who has symptoms of coronavirus and lives with any of those identified above

Additionally, the government are testing:

- social care workers and residents in care homes, with or without symptoms, both to investigate outbreaks and, following successful pilots, as part of a rolling programme to test all care homes

- NHS workers and patients without symptoms, in line with NHS England guidance