New Covid-19 test centre opens at Faulkland Street

Another new walk-through Covid-19 test centre has opened in Wolverhampton, with people reminded that they should book a test if they have symptoms of coronavirus, no matter how mild.

The centre on Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Faulkland Street Car Park joins other walk-through sites at Showell Road, at Blakenhall Community Resource Centre on Haggar Street and at Mountford Lane car park in Bilston, and a drive-through centre at Aldersley Leisure Village. A walk-through centre on the car park of Whitmore Reans Health Centre is currently open but is planned to close at the end of this week.

People who have symptoms of Covid-19, which include a fever, a new, continuous cough or a loss or change to their sense of taste and smell, are strongly advised to book an appointment by visiting www.nhs.uk/coronavirus  or calling 119 as soon as possible. Due to the current national issues with testing availability, people may need to keep trying regularly in order to book an appointment.

The test centre at Faulkland Street has opened thanks to a partnership between the council, the University of Wolverhampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, who own the car park next to the ring road. It will be open to everyone, and will also be used by the university to test students and staff who have symptoms of Covid-19.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Geoff Layer said: “The health and wellbeing of our students, staff and the local community is our top priority. The new testing centre in Faulkland Street is close to our city centre campus and will provide a vital service to stop the spread of Covid-19.

“We would encourage anyone with Covid-19 symptoms to visit the NHS website for guidance and also to access advice about how to arrange a test. We will be supporting our students and staff with information about the importance of testing and continue to work with our public health and local authority partners to ensure the safety of our communities.”

People should only get tested if they have coronavirus symptoms or have been asked to get tested. This will help make sure people who need a test are more likely to be able to get one. Anyone who has symptoms but is unable to book a test should stay at home and self-isolate for 10 days from the point at which they first developed symptoms and continue to try and get a test.

Latest data shows there were 66.43 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people in Wolverhampton in the seven days up to 21 September, compared to 53.83 per 100,000 in the seven days to 14 September.

Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: "Testing is a crucial weapon in our battle to stop the spread of Covid-19 and the message is clear; if you have symptoms, no matter how mild they may be, you must immediately self-isolate and get yourselves tested.

"If you have symptoms but are unable to access a test then please stay and home and isolate for 10 days. This will help you, your family and community to remain safe and prevent any potential spread. If your symptoms worsen during this period, please contact 111 for advice.”

People are reminded that they should wear a face covering when attending walk-through centres, only removing these while the test is taking place. Anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace and will be asked to share information about people that they have been in close contact with recently.

Details of all of Wolverhampton’s test centres can be found at www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/coronavirus-testing. The latest information and guidance around coronavirus is available at www.gov.uk/coronavirus and on the council’s own coronavirus pages at www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/coronavirus. For details of the local Covid-19 measures which came into force on Tuesday, please visit www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/restrictions.