St Johntone offer ground as jab hub
McDiarmid Park and racecourse could play role
St Johnstone FC have told the PA the club would be happy for McDiarmid Park to become a mass COVID-19 vaccination venue.
And bosses at Perth Racecourse has also confirmed the facility could be used to help roll out the vaccine programme.
It will now be up to the authorities whether the offers are taken up going forward.
The Perth SPFL club has played a key part in providing support throughout the pandemic.
McDiarmid Park has been used as a local testing facility since November 2020 while St Johnstone Community Trust helped deliver hot meals and prescriptions to local residents.
A spokesperson for St Johnstone told the PA: “St Johnstone FC would be pleased to make McDiarmid Park available to NHS Scotland if it is required for the mass rollout of the vaccination process to the general population.
“The McDiarmid Park site is a large area with a significant number of parking spaces ready for use if needed.
“The NHS has already been using McDiarmid Park as a mobile testing unit during this season and we were delighted to accommodate this on our site free of any charge.
“We are proud to be at the heart of the community and play our part in supporting local people, just as they have supported us.”
Last week the PA revealed Dewars Centre in Perth was listed as a potential vaccination site.
And we also revealed Perth Racecourse was being considered as a potential venue.
The chief executive of Perth Racecourse has now confirmed to the PA the facility is “eager to play a role.”
Hazel Peplinski said: “Racecourses across the UK have offered up their venues for contingency measures, and it’s no different in Scotland although none of the five tracks, to my knowledge, have had their local authorities take up our offer as of yet.
“Perth Racecourse has been offered to any of the Tayside emergency services as a support
McDiarmid Park is already being used as a testing centre and St Johnstone would be happy to see it used as a vaccination site as well
venue since the first lockdown last March - from doctors’ accommodation, to a testing centre, and more recently as a vaccination centre – we are eager to play a role in helping to make our community safe as soon as possible.”
Hazel believes the racecourse “lends itself well” as a venue.
She said: “The location of the
racecourse lends itself well to providing a testing or vaccination centre, with space to accommodate a drive-in system, and our hotel could work well due to its scale and the fact it is so convenient, modern and isolated.
“I have made sure the authorities are aware of our offer but to date we have not been taken up.”