Riverside test centre blasted by angry locals
CONCERNS have been raised about the location of Glasgow’s latest Covid19 walk- in test centre. The Do- It Yourself hub was opened in the Riverside Museum car park earlier this month in a bid to improve the level of testing in the city.
However, a number of people in the West End have criticised the location of the site, saying it is far “too easy” for people who could have the virus to come in to contact with others visiting the cultural centre.
Allan Anderson, who lives in nearby Centurion Way, said: “I’ve been watching from the balcony [ and it’s a] great view of the idiocy. “It’s been ridiculous.
“On numerous occasions I have seen cars coming in and parking next to each other.
“There are people using the path obviously with symptoms walking past loads of people to get to the centre.”
Hazel Laughlan, who also lives in the flats, said: “We all use the grounds of the museum for exercise and for wains to play.
“Our house has two medically fragile kids and one adult with breathing problems. It’s a great concern to us that the testing centre is so close.”
The new site was opened by the UK Government with the aim of making tests more accessible.
People who don’t have access to a car or public transport can just walk- in, where they are given a kit and asked to take their own test.
Another local, who asked not to be named, said: “I find it utterly absurd that, given the concern about rising cases in the Central Belt, they would choose to station a walk- in test site in an area that’s so widely used by the public.
“The idea that people who are infectious with coronavirus will be walking through a narrow underpass to reach the test centre seems incredibly unfair on all the local people who use these routes.”
A UK Government spokesman said: “The site was carefully selected after close engagement with local stakeholders
“We have detailed clinical operating procedures, developed in collaboration with clinical experts, for local walk- through testing sites.
“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.”