November 19, 2020 11.10 am This story is over 40 months old

COVID-19 testing centre to open in Grantham

In council’s car park from end of November
The walk-through facility will open in South Kesteven District Council's Queen Elizabeth Park car park.

A new coronavirus testing centre will open in Grantham next week.

Work to set up the walk-through facility in South Kesteven District Council’s Queen Elizabeth Park will start on Tuesday, November 24.

The site will be ready from Monday, November 30. It will be open seven days a week from 8am to 8pm. However, the car park will be closed while the testing station is there.

The testing centre will be available only to those who have symptoms of coronavirus. Appointments must be booked in advance either online here or by calling 119.

It is also advised that anyone using the facility should walk, cycle or drive there, and to not use a taxi or public transport. If that is not possible, people are being urged to order a home test through the post.

Councillor Annie Mason, South Kesteven District Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, said:  “It’s very important to remember, however, that you cannot turn up and be tested without an appointment.”

“There is a sense that some people are perhaps not taking the second lockdown as seriously as they should.

“As we go through winter, we will all need to keep up the social distancing, hand washing and wearing face coverings regardless of what happens on December 2 when the lockdown is due to end.

“By taking responsibility for our own health and wellbeing we are protecting the health of others.”

It was also announced this week that three other testing centres will open in Skegness, Boston and Gainsborough after a rise in coronavirus infections in the region, with 449 new cases across Greater Lincolnshire on Wednesday, November 18.

The Gainsborough site is expected to be a walk-in centre at Riverside car park for a minimum of three months.