The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
New Covid-19 testing site opens as council considers ‘marshals’
A new Covid testing site has opened in Peterborough this week.
The new site is located near Gladstone Park and will be open seven days a week from 8am to 8pm.
However it will have reduced opening hours on its first two days whilst set up is taking place as follows: Wednesday14th- 2pmto5pm, Thursday 15th - 10am to 5pm.
Peterborough MP Paul Bristow said: “The temporary mobile sites in our city proved popular so I made it a priority to get something permanent for Peterborough.
“We have done the right thing and our rates are low. More tests may increase rates abit butwewillonlygetontop of this with the right response and making sure local people who need a test can get one is part of this.”
The additional site next to Gladstone Park Community Centre follows a bid made by Peterborough City Council to the Department for Health and Social Care to bolster the city’s testing capacity for Covid-19.
It will beinplaceforatleast the next three months and is being funded and operated by the Department for Health and Social Care. People who
have symptomsareadvisedto book a test by visiting www. gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.
Dr Liz Robin, director of public health for Peterborough City Council, said: “One of the things we committed to at the recent Peterborough summit was making it as easy as possible for local people to get a test if they have symptoms of Covid-19.
“Wehavehadamobiletestingfacility intheGladstonear
ea of the city on a number of occasions over the past few monthsanditprovedpopular for people in the central area of the city who needed to access a test, in particular those without access to a car.
“The fact we now have a permanent site in this area is great news for local residents and will allow us to track and containthespreadofthevirus much more effectively.
“If you have symptoms of coronavirus- afever, newcon
tinuous cough and/or a loss or change in sense of taste or smell - please get a test. You mustalsoself-isolate witheveryonethat youlive with. In doing so youwill bekeepingyour friends andfamilysafeandreducingthespreadofthevirus, whichcouldsavethecityfrom more devastating lockdown measures like we are seeing elsewhere at the moment.”
Peterborough City Council has been given a £125,000 grant from the government to help continue to raise awareness of Covid-19 restrictions among the community and businesses.
In September, the government announced a budget to support Covid-19 compliance and enforcement activity. A total of £30m was allocated to local authorities, with £300,000 awarded to CambridgeshireandPeterborough City Council getting£125,000.
The funds will be used to support compliance checks on businesses and individuals, ensuring restrictions such as social distancing and the wearing of face masks are being adhered to, helping to controlthespreadofthevirus.
Councils can use the funding to deploy ‘Covid-19 Marshals’ to advise and support members of the public on following restrictions.
Peterborough City Council will now consider this approach and work with partners to determine how to spend the funding. An announcement on the outcome of this will be made in ‘due course.’
RobHill, assistant director of people and communities at Peterborough City Council, said: “We are pleased to have been granted this award and are currently working with our external partners as to how best to use this funding.
“The government felt that, across the country, councils such as ours are closest to and have the best knowledge of Covid-19 issues in our cities and we should decide how to spend the funding ourselves.
“We are looking at a range of options, such as covering costs associated with stepping up enforcement activity, measures to help the public and businesses fully understand regulations and funding the cost of dedicated staff toencouragecompliancewith the rules, including Covid-19 marshals.”