Four staff at Lincoln rapid test centre have COVID-19, but it remains open

Four members of staff working at the rapid coronavirus test centre off Monks Road in Lincoln have tested positive for COVID-19, but the site remains open for the public to use.

The four who tested positive are all asymptomatic and they were tested before their shift and prior to having any contact with the public. It is understood that the four cases are all unrelated.

The Croft Street centre remains open for people to get tested, along with the site at Lincoln City’s LNER Stadium, as there has been no impact on the delivery of the testing service.

Simon Colburn, Assistant Director for Health and Environmental Services, said: “As you would expect, there are robust procedures in place to ensure staff at the testing centres are themselves being tested prior to starting their shift and having any contact with the public.

“Lateral flow testing helps identify positive cases and allows action to be taken both in workplaces and households.

“Testing, alongside the vaccination programme and following ‘hands, face, space,’ remains a key part of the country’s recovery from the pandemic.

“There has been no impact on the delivery of the testing service at either Monks Road or Sincil Bank.

“The sites remain open daily from 8am to 8pm for anyone without symptoms to come along, take a test and help keep Lincoln safe.”

A Serco spokesperson said: “The Serco team at the Monks Road test centre are regularly tested.

“All social distancing and other measures are in place, and the centre continues to operate at normal capacity.”

Currently rapid testing sites in Lincolnshire are due to stay in place until the end of March, then central government will make further decisions on their future.

Meanwhile, Lincolnshire County Council’s director of public health Derek Ward recently said the latest good news regarding coronavirus included around 55,000 rapid PCR tests carried out a week, as well as a further 16,000 asymptomatic tests completed so far.