Army sets up Covid-19 testing site in Eastbourne

Shortly after 9.30am, army personnel arrived at the College Road car park in the town centre to start erecting a temporary testing centre.

It is one of two mobile units in Sussex and is for essential keyworkers – with testing by pre-booked appointment only.

The mobile units are in addition to the nationally-run drive-through facilities at Gatwick and Brighton and the locally-run drive-through facilities at Bexhill and Bognor.

They are being deployed across the county to help ensure essential keyworkers have quick and easy access to testing.

For essential key workers who are unable to travel, testing is available at home through a number of community testing vehicles.

Coordinated by the Sussex Resilience Forum – which is brings together local government, the emergency services, the NHS and other public agencies from across Sussex to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic – the mobile units are operated by military staff who have received special training.

Tests are available for essential key workers – such as NHS staff, social workers, care home and hospice staff, teachers and police – and any of their household members if they have symptoms.

This enables those who do not have the virus to return to work. Essential key workers should book tests through their employer, who will have access to the Sussex Booking Hub and the widest range of test options.

Members of the public with symptoms can get tested if they are aged over 65 or if they work and their work cannot be done from home - for example, construction workers, shop workers, emergency plumbers and delivery drivers.

The public can access testing through the government website, www.gov.uk/coronavirus-get-tested which has access to all nationally-run drive-through sites, plus a number of home testing kits available each day.

According to Public Health England, the people who can be tested are as follows.

• all essential workers including NHS and social care workers with symptoms (see the full list of essential workers)

• people over 65 with symptoms

• people with symptoms going to work who cannot work from home (for example, construction workers, shop workers, emergency plumbers and delivery drivers)

• anyone who has symptoms of coronavirus and lives with any of those identified above

Additionally, the government is also testing:

• social care workers and residents in care homes, with or without symptoms,

• NHS workers and patients without symptoms, in line with NHS England guidance

Testing is most effective within three days of symptoms developing.

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