Bristol's first walk-through coronavirus testing site opens in city centre
Bristol's first walk-through coronavirus testing site has opened its doors.
The site is located in the car park of the University of Bristol's Victoria Rooms near the Triangle in the city centre.
It has been set up to provide an easily accessible and central location for more people to get tested for covid-19.
The site will offer another option to the drive-through testing centre at Bristol Airport, and the site at the Ashton Gate car park, specifically for staff at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust.
In a statement Bristol City Council said, anyone with symptoms, however mild, can get a free swab test that takes less than a minute.
Tests should be booked or ordered as soon as symptoms begin by going online or by calling 119. Results should arrive the next day, the council statement added.
Those hoping to use the site have been advised to not travel to it by taxi or public transport and they should follow social distancing measures, practice good personal hygiene and wear a face covering, including for travelling to and from the testing site.
Christina Gray, director of public health at Bristol City Council, said: "This new walk-through testing site, our first in the city centre, will help encourage more people in Bristol to take the test if they are unwell."
“New reports of Covid-19 in Bristol are monitored very carefully by Public Health teams in both Bristol City Council and Public Health England."
Councillor Asher Craig, deputy mayor of Bristol added: “The people of Bristol should be proud of their efforts in helping limit the spread of the virus.
“The new site at Victoria Rooms, which we hope will be one of many in Bristol, will make it so much easier for people living in the city to get a test done simply and quickly."
"Everyone needs to do their bit and getting a test if you have any symptoms is key to preventing further infections.”
Testing is available to everyone who has symptoms, with additional support for vulnerable groups and people with disabilities.
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