More people are now eligible for COVID-19 testing at the Humber Bridge car park after eligibility was extended to include care home staff and residents, people aged 65 and over, and those who need to leave home to work.
The extended eligibility means that care home staff and residents with our without symptoms of COVID-19 can now be tested, while people aged 65 and over can now be tested if they have symptoms.
Those who are required to leave home to go to work, such as shop keepers, delivery drivers and construction workers, can also be tested if they have symptoms of COVID-19. This means those who test negative for COVID-19 can return to work as soon as possible, and those who test positive are able to recover.
NHS staff and other key workers continue to be eligible for testing at the Humber Bridge car park facility, which continues to operate on an appointment-only basis.
Anyone who has symptoms and lives with someone who meets any of the above criteria can also be tested.
Those people eligible for testing can book it themselves via the Government’s self-referral portal: https://self-referral.test-for-coronavirus.service.gov.uk/
The drive-through testing facility at the Humber Bridge car park (north) opened last week as part of the Government’s UK-wide drive to increase testing for thousands more NHS and other key workers.
The site sits alongside a rapidly expanding network of testing sites being set up around the UK, and follows the launch of the Government’s partnership with universities, research institutes and companies to begin rollout of the network of new labs and field testing sites across the UK.
Alternatively, those eligible can be tested at the mobile testing units in operation in Grimsby and Goole this week.
The Grimsby site, at the Duchess Street Car Park, Grimsby DN32 0RH, will be open at the following times, for people with booked appointments only:
- Wednesday, 29th April 11am to 3pm
- Thursday, 30th April 11am to 3pm
The Goole testing facility, at Goole Hospital Car Park, Woodland Avenue, Goole, DN14 6RX, will be open at the following times, for people with booked appointments only:
- Thursday, 30th April 10.30am to4pm
- Friday, 1st May 10.30am to 4pm
- Saturday, 2nd May 10.30am to 4pm
Eligible people can book a test themselves via the Government’s self-referral portal: https://self-referral.test-for-coronavirus.service.gov.uk/
Chris Blacksell, Chair of the Humber Local Resilience Forum, said: “The addition of another Mobile Testing Unit in Goole, so soon after the Grimsby location, is pushing up the numbers tested each day in our region even further and giving health partners and employers a much clearer picture of the local levels of confirmed cases.
“Again, the number of positive cases of coronavirus reported in the Humber region will naturally increase sharply over the coming days as we expand the number of tests carried out. This should not alarm anyone, it will simply allow the NHS to be better informed and prepare their staffing and resources accordingly.”
Professor Stephen Eames, Independent Chair and System Lead for Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership, said: “I am delighted that COVID-19 testing has been extended beyond health and social care staff and key workers to also include care home residents, and people aged 65 and over and those who need to leave home to go to work.
“This is an important part of our overall strategy in Humber, Coast and Vale to ensure our health and care system continues to meet the health and care needs of people in our region. It is a testament to the commitment and cooperation of all partner organisations across the Humber that we have been able to get the site up and running in a short space of time.”
For more information about COVID-19 testing, including who is eligible for a test, how to get tested and the different types of test available, visit: www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested
