Rotherham Council has moved quickly to secure a replacement Covid testing site in Dinnington, which will open tomorrow (Thursday 26 August).
The new site, which will also be operated by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), will be based at the Constable Lane car park, near to the bus station and just a short distance from the previous testing site at Dinnington Resource Centre. The site will provide supervised PCR tests for people with Covid-19 symptoms and to those instructed to get a test by NHS Test and Trace.
The test site will be open for appointments 7 days per week (including bank holidays), initially from 9am-3pm, with opening hours reviewed regularly, based on usage. It is a mobile unit, so will be set up and removed each day.
The former testing site has been based at Dinnington Resource Centre since November 2020 but was closed on Tuesday 24 August, to allow for the full re-opening of the Resource Centre.
Nathan Atkinson, Assistant Director for Strategic Commissioning at Rotherham Council said: “We are pleased to have been able to facilitate a quick turnaround of the testing facilities in Dinnington and kept any disruption for local residents to an absolute minimum.
“With infection rates across Rotherham still much higher than we would like, it’s vital that we make Covid testing and vaccine facilities as accessible as possible.
“We continue to encourage anyone with covid symptoms, to self-isolate at home and book a test via the NHS website or by phone as soon as possible. Some people with Covid don’t display any symptoms, so we would also advise people to test regularly at home using Lateral Flow Tests, which are available free from a wide range of local outlets including libraries and pharmacies.”
Anyone who requires a PCR test because they have symptoms or has been instructed by NHS Test & Trace can book online at www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.