Rapid COVID testing sites across Lincolnshire scaled down

Three rapid COVID testing centres in Lincoln and Boston will close, but a new site is expected to open in the city, as the government appears to scale back lateral flow testing in Lincolnshire.

Lincoln will lose both the Sincil Bank Stadium and Croft Street rapid testing centres, but a new site is expected to open at a yet undisclosed location.

Meanwhile Boston is scaling down to just one rapid testing centre, but Grantham will gain its second.

However, there is now an option to order free home tests for school children and parents, carers, and employees from the government website, but you only can get a couple of weeks’ worth with that.

Here are the changes to the sites so far (to be updated accordingly):

• Lincoln – Croft Street (St Swithins) Community Centre – will close March 31
• Lincoln – Lincoln City Football Club, LNER Stadium – will close April 11
• Lincoln – New site to open on April 12 (location unconfirmed)
• Boston – Fenside Community Centre, Taverner Rd, Boston, PE21 8NL – closing its doors at 8pm March 31
• Boston – Skirbeck St Nicholas Community Centre, Fishtoft Rd, Boston, PE21 0DJ – to remain open until end of June with hours changing to Monday-Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturdays and Sundays 9am to 5pm
• Grantham – Grantham West Community Centre, Trent Road – opens April 6 2021 – Mondays 8.30am-2.30pm; Tuesdays 12pm- 6pm; Wednesdays 8.30am-2.30pm; Thursdays 12pm-6pm – only for key workers without symptoms
• Sleaford – Better Gym, Oakside Park Industrial Estate, East Rd, Sleaford NG34 7EH – only for key workers – closed as of 8pm March 30
• Sleaford – Sleaford Town Football Club car park mobile unit – opens 9am on April 1 – offering test kits to pick up from 9am to 3pm seven days a week

Here are the other sites currently open 8am to 8pm:

• Gainsborough – Gainsborough Leisure Centre, The Avenue, Gainsborough DN21 1EP
• Grantham – Grantham Meres Leisure Centre Trent Road, Grantham, NG31 7XQ
• Horncastle – Stanhope Hall, 1 Boston Road, Horncastle, LN9 6EY
• Louth – Meridian Leisure Centre, Wood Lane, Louth, LN11 8SA
• Skegness – Arts Room, Embassy Theatre, Grand Parade, Skegness, PE25 2UG
• Trusthorpe – Trusthorpe Village Hall, Sutton Road, Trusthorpe, LN12 2PL

You do not need to book an appointment to get an asymptomatic test at any of the centres. However, if you have symptoms of COVID-19, you need to get a PCR test.

Professor Derek Ward, Lincolnshire County Council’s Director of Public Health said: “We are expanding the offer so that people can come and pick up packs of lateral flow tests so they can test themselves at home. ”

“At the moment, they can do that at any of our fixed sites so the Showground, in Skegness and our local fixed sites as well.” This is hoped to be expanded to more lateral flow test sites.