Temporary testing facility for Covid-19 to return to Blackpool leisure centre car park

The testing facility, located at the Palatine Leisure Centre car park on St Anne's Road, has been organised by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Testing will begin taking place from Tuesday, June 2 to Thursday, June 4, with the site being able to accommodate hundreds of people per day.

The Lancashire Resilience Forum wants people to be aware that appointments are required to attend and people cannot turn up unexpectedly to be tested.

You can usually book a test the night before through the government's coronavirus testing webpage from around 8pm.

Anyone showing symptoms over the age of five is now eligible for a test, following a change to the government criteria.

Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, director of public health for Lancashire, said: "We know that this situation is a difficult time for people. Through testing we can understand more about the scale of this situation and help us to bring normal life back again, once it's appropriate to do so.

"By testing essential workers and their families if they're showing symptoms, we can keep vital services running at this time and protect the essential workers themselves."

Other testing sites are already in operation at Preston College and Royal Blackburn Hospital.

Dr Arif Rajpura, Director of Public Health for Blackpool, said: "We all need to continue to maintain social distance and good hand hygiene during this time. It’s still really important to do this, to help to reduce the spread.

"And as the health advice reminds us, you should catch your cough with a tissue, then put the tissue in the bin and wash your hands.

"This is a difficult time and it's important that people keep doing the right things to protect themselves, as well as their families and friends."

If you or a member of your household has symptoms, you should stay at home and self-isolate for seven days from the point your symptoms started.

If you live with someone with symptoms, you must self-isolate for 14 days from the day their symptoms started, as it can take 14 days for symptoms to appear.

Contact NHS 111 on-line if you need healthcare advice.

The Lancashire Resilience Forum are working closely with partner organisations to create additional mobile and satellite testing sites in the county.

This includes mobile testing for care home staff.

People experiencing symptoms must follow the government and NHS advice.

You can find out more or book a coronavirus test at www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested