Changes to Warrington’s Covid testing programme announced

THE symptom-free testing site at Golden Square Shopping Centre is to become Warrington’s main COVID testing site from today with an expanded testing outreach programme planned for the coming months.
Warrington’s current testing programme has been a success, testing more than 20,000 people in the past six months
The Golden Square testing site, 26-28 Sankey Street, will be Warrington’s main testing site
The testing site at Grappenhall Parish Centre has now closed
The “pop up” testing sites at Birchwood, Burtonwood, Croft and Lymm will change to collection only following the regular sessions, from Monday July 5 until Friday July 16 when they will close
More outreach work will be undertaken to increase testing in communities where case numbers are high
These changes come as the national testing programme has moved to an updated model, which accounts for the restrictions that have been lifted.
Rapid symptom-free testing remains available to all residents in Warrington, whether they have been vaccinated or not, to help stop the spread of the virus. The lateral flow tests (LFTs) are available online for collection from participating pharmacies or at the symptom-free testing site at Golden Square Shopping Centre.
Although the last day of testing at the Grappenhall testing site was yesterday (Wednesday) , residents will still be able to get a test from Monday to Saturday at the Golden Square site, or by using pharmacy collect, or having tests delivered to their homes.
As part of the council’s outreach work, alongside community partners, staff and volunteers will be going into local communities to speak to residents about the importance of regular testing and vaccinations. Residents will be supported to book their vaccine appointments, if they haven’t done so already, and they will be able to raise any issues or concerns.
Residents will also be offered advice on how and where to get tested, and staff can provide guidance on how to successfully carry out tests at home. All residents are encouraged to speak to the team at the community outreach sessions if they are unsure about how to take a test, in advance of the government moving to “Step 4” of the roadmap out of lockdown.
The increased outreach work will help to identify positive cases that may not have been picked up by the current testing programme, helping to ensure that those infected with the virus, and their close contacts, remain at home and reduce the risk of transmission to other people.
The outreach work will also try to target those who may be hesitant to testing, by providing them with information about how quick and easy it is to get tested regularly, and what support is available if they do then need to self-isolate. You may be eligible for self-isolation support payments to help you self-isolate if you test positive for coronavirus, or if you are identified as a close contact of someone with coronavirus.
Residents are also being reminded that if they need any support, Warrington Voluntary Action’s Good Neighbours scheme is available to help. Residents can email [email protected] or call 01925 246 881 for advice.
Cllr Maureen McLaughlin, the borough council’s cabinet member for public health and wellbeing, said: “I’d like to thank the 20,000 people who have already gone out of their way to get a test in the past six months to help protect themselves and those around them. Coronavirus hasn’t gone away just yet and case numbers in Warrington are still high, so please continue your efforts and make it a positive habit to get tested or test yourself twice a week.
“We’re looking forward to meeting more Warrington residents and reaching more communities over the next few weeks, to support them as we move into this next phase of our testing programme.
“Our testing site at Golden Square will remain open for those working in the town centre, shoppers, people attending large events, and anyone else who is able to drop in to get a quick 10 minute test.”
For more information about testing in Warrington, whether you have coronavirus or not, visit: warrington.gov.uk/TestAndTrace.