Liverpool’s Covid-19 mass testing scheme is proving a success with more than 100,000 people in the city coming forward.
Mayor Joe Anderson tweeted that so far 100,849 people in Liverpool have been tested in the city’s mass pilot. Of that number, 54,987 people tested using lateral flow and 36,571 people have been tested at mobile test units.
Mayor Anderson encouraged those who haven’t yet been tested to do so, saying: “Please get tested and get tested again, let’s do it for our city #LETSBREAKTHECHAIN.”
The army have been drafted in to help run the test centres as part of the large-scale operation that means everyone living or working in Liverpool can be tested for the deadly virus.
The city’s Director of Public Health Matt Ashton has described the operation as a ‘route out of lockdown for Liverpool’, while Mayor Anderson said it could give people a chance at something like a ‘normal Christmas.’
Walk in test sites across Liverpool are open to anyone who is not showing signs of Covid-19. However, if you are displaying symptoms of the virus you must either get tested at a drive through centre or through a postal testing kit.
Sites in Liverpool that are offering walk in Covid-19 testing include:
· Lifestyles Alsop Fitness Centre, 1 Walton Village, L4 6RW
· Exhibition Centre Liverpool, Kings Dock, L3 4FP
· Lifestyles Ellergreen, Ellergreen Road, L11 2XY
· Lifestyles Park Road, Steble Street, L8 6QH
· Liverpool Tennis Centre, Wellington Road, L15 4LE
· Lifestyles Garston, Long Lane, L19 6PE
Leah Finch, 21, got tested at Lifestyles on Park Road, Toxteh. She told JMU Journalism: “I was quite nervous about going for a test as I’d heard a lot of horror stories.
“It wasn’t as bad as I thought, and the process was so easy. It was surprisingly painless, and just involved a quick swab at the back of the throat and up the nostril. There really isn’t anything to be afraid of.”
Marie Lucas, 42, took her test at the Exhibition Centre on Kings Dock. She said: “I literally popped in and out of the centre for my test which altogether probably took about 10 minutes.
“I was really suprised at how fast and simple it was actually. I got my results back in under an hour aswell which cuts out the stress of worrying about whether or not you could have it.”
The city-wide mass testing scheme aims to find asymptomatic carriers to reduce transmission and hopefully get the city back to normal as fast as possible.
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