More mobile coronavirus mobile testing sites in Buckinghamshire next week

Coronavirus mobile testing site. Photo credit Stewart Turkington for Bracknell Forest Council

More coronavirus mobile testing sites are coming to Buckinghamshire over the coming week, as efforts to stop the spread of the illness continue across the county.

The locations are:

  • Marlow – from Monday, 31 August, for one day
  • High Wycombe – from Monday, 31 August, for up to 3 days
  • Aylesbury – from Tuesday, 1 September, for up to 2 days
  • Buckingham – from Thursday, 3 September, for up to 2 days

Anyone with coronavirus symptoms (a high temperature; a new, continuous cough; a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste) is currently eligible to be tested. Also, anyone told to have a test before going, for example, to hospital for surgery is eligible, and you can arrange a test for someone else in your household with symptoms.

Tests at mobile sites should be booked first and are not available on a ‘drop-in’ basis at this time. Further details of the testing sites will be provided to people when they book their test.

To arrange a test, go to www.gov.uk/coronavirus and click on the appropriate link for you within the ‘testing’ section of information. It is also possible to now order a home testing kit if you cannot get to a testing site.

If the mobile testing sites are fully booked then you will be offered testing at the next-closest location.

A new ‘hybrid’ testing centre is also now running in Slough, in Montem Car Park, Montem Lane. This is open for both booked and drop-in visits. It is open to Bucks residents and visitors can attend on both car and on foot. People can also be tested – at this Slough site only – if they suspect they have been exposed to the coronavirus but are not displaying symptoms.

Gareth Williams, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Community Engagement at Buckinghamshire Council, said: “As we have seen in other parts of the country, we must all remain vigilant to help stop the spread of the virus, keep people healthy and avoid more restrictions coming back into place in Buckinghamshire. Even if your symptoms are mild and you don’t feel they are bothering you much, we would still urge you to please get tested as early as possible. The more cases we can identify, the better able we are to keep this virus under control.”

Dr Raj Bajwa, GP and Chair of NHS Buckinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “Testing is essential to help keep NHS services running smoothly during this outbreak, and to help vulnerable people stay as safe as possible from coronavirus infection. These mobile sites offer a great boost to our testing capabilities in Buckinghamshire, so we hope they will be well-used by those that need them.