Buckingham will be the location of the next coronavirus mobile testing site in the county, which will run for up to three days from Wednesday, 13 May.

It will operate from the Swan Pool and Leisure Centre site in London Road, MK18 1AE.

This is in addition to other local and regional coronavirus testing sites, which are still available for residents in Buckinghamshire to use.

Mobile testing sites have been in operation at High Wycombe and Aylesbury over the last week, but both of these have now moved on.

Anyone who is eligible and wishes to be tested at the Buckingham mobile site must arrange an appointment on the national booking website first – https://self-referral.test-for-coronavirus.service.gov.uk.  Tests must be booked and are not available on a ‘drop-in’ basis. You can also book a test at a different site via this website.

Only certain categories of people are eligible for testing at this time, like NHS or other essential workers (and some household members), or people over 65 with coronavirus symptoms. More details of these categories are listed below.

People being tested must bring appropriate ID (like an NHS ID card) or a letter/ email from their employer to confirm their key worker status.

The site, which will be operated by military personnel, will operate a one-way system in and out of the parking area, so anyone using it should please take care to follow the signage.

Gareth Williams, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Community Engagement at Buckinghamshire Council, said: “It’s very encouraging to have another mobile testing site running in the county, so soon after those in High Wycombe and Aylesbury. Testing is vital as we work together to stop the spread of coronavirus. We would urge anyone who thinks they should be tested, and who is eligible, to please book a slot at the Buckingham site.”

Dr Raj Bajwa, GP and Chair of NHS Buckinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group, added: “Testing is essential to help keep NHS services running smoothly during this outbreak, and to help vulnerable people stay as safe as possible from coronavirus infection. These mobile sites will offer a great boost to our testing capabilities in Buckinghamshire, so we hope they will be well-used by those that need them.”

Tests are being offered to the following categories of people, and, in some cases, members of their household. They are not available for other members of the general public at this time:

·       All those working on the frontline in health and social care (with or without symptoms)

·       Patients in the NHS and residents in care homes (with or without symptoms)

·       All essential workers with symptoms

·       Anyone over 65 with symptoms

·       Anyone who goes into work because they cannot work from home (e.g. construction workers) and has symptoms

·       Anyone who has symptoms and lives with someone who meets any of the above criteria

You can find more details about eligibility for testing here – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested