A new walk-through coronavirus (COVID-19) testing facility has opened for people to book appointments at Grove Street Car Park in Mansfield.
This is part of the Government's drive to continue to improve the accessibility of COVID-19 testing for local communities.
Testing at this site is available for those with symptoms - a high temperature, a new continuous cough, or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste. Anyone with one or more of these symptoms should book a test on the NHS website (opens in new window) or by calling 119. The government is committed to making it even easier to get tested and to reducing the time it takes to receive test results.
The new site is situated so it is easily accessible without a car. Those being tested will be required to follow public health measures, including social distancing, not travelling by taxi or public transport, practising good personal hygiene and wearing a face covering throughout, including while travelling to and from the testing centre.
Anyone attending an appointment at a walk-through test site will be provided with guidance on getting to and from the test site safely, with additional support for vulnerable groups and people with disabilities.
Testing at the new site will start from today, Thursday 02 December, with appointments made available each day.
Anyone testing positive for the virus in England will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace to help them trace their contacts. This will help to identify who they may have been in close contact with, protecting others from further transmission.
COVID-19 testing is also available for those asked to get a test, which could be by NHS Test and Trace if they're a close contact of a positive case, by a clinician or their local authority, by a testing pilot or via their work. Instead of self-isolating, those who are fully vaccinated and under 18s identified as close contacts of positive COVID-19 cases are advised to get a free PCR test as soon as possible.
Close contacts of those testing positive will also hear from NHS Test and Trace, asking them to stay at home for 10 days if they are not fully vaccinated to prevent them from unknowingly spreading the virus. Close contacts of people who have been identified as suspected or confirmed case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 must stay at home and self-isolate even if they are fully vaccinated or aged under 18 years and 6 months.
Free, rapid lateral flow testing is also available to everyone in England for people without symptoms. Around 1 in 3 people with COVID-19 do not have any symptoms but can still infect others. Taking a free rapid lateral flow test before a period of high risk will give you peace of mind that you are unlikely to be infectious and able to spread COVID-19. It remains vital to get vaccinated and continue to take other preventative measures such as regular handwashing, wearing a face mask and keeping spaces ventilated when meeting people indoors.
Jenny Harries, CEO of UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: "This new walk-through site is part of our ongoing work to make it even easier for people who need a PCR test to get one.
"If you have developed a new continuous cough, a high temperature or a loss or change in sense of smell or taste, or you are asked or advised to get a test, please book one and follow any advice you're given.
"As we return to a more familiar way of life, testing, and isolating when necessary, remain a vital way of controlling the spread of the virus and protecting one another."