UK Health Security Agency statement on newly-relocated covid-19 test site in Newark

A statement has been issued on the newly-relocated covid-19 testing site in Newark.

The site, which is for those showing coronavirus symptoms, has recently moved from the Castle House carpark on Great North Road.

It now presides at the former county council highways depot, postcode NG24 1DG.

It is being managed by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

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 at nhs.uk/coronavirus or by calling 119.

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.

The site is now open with appointments available each day.

Anyone testing positive for the virus in England will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace to help them track 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 ten 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 must stay at home and self-isolate even if they are fully vaccinated or aged under 18 years and six months.

Free, rapid lateral flow testing is also available to everyone in England for people without symptoms.

Around one in three 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 hand washing, wearing a face mask and keeping spaces ventilated when meeting people indoors.

Jenny Harries, chief executive of 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.”