London’s Stansted airport has opened a temporary drive-in
coronavirus testing site to help the UK government’s drive to increase
testing capacity for NHS staff and frontline health workers.
The site is one of a growing number of temporary testing
centres being built across the UK, including one set up in a long-stay car park
at Gatwick airport earlier this month. It will operate on an appointment-only
basis and will allow self-isolating NHS workers or symptomatic members of their
families to be tested for the coronavirus.
Stansted worked with Sodexo to set up the site in one of its
long-stay car parks, which will provide up to five testing lanes.
Ken O’Toole, Stansted airport’s CEO, said: “I am very proud
that London Stansted has been able to play a small but vitally important part
in supporting the government’s drive to test more and more frontline NHS staff
by making available one of our main long-stay car parks.”
Professor John Newton, national coordinator for the UK
coronavirus testing strategy, added: “New testing sites such as this one are a key
pillar of our five-pillar plan to scale up testing, and are critical in
supporting NHS staff who are isolating at home to return safely to work if the
test is negative.”