Another walk-through testing facility for coronavirus in Knowsley will be operational from next week.
Based in the car park at the Knowsley Community College site on Cherryfield Drive in Kirkby, the site will be open from 8am until 8pm seven days a week, and is being built today.
Piloted from tomorrow, October 3, the facility, along with the one based in Huyton, will ensure that residents who don’t have access to a car can still book a test locally as it is not a drive-through testing site.
Figures released on Monday showed Knowsley had recorded 422 new cases of Covid-19 in the week up to last Friday, almost double the previous week’s total.
Latest figures show the borough now has the highest infection rate in the country, with almost 280 cases per 100,000 people and case numbers still rising.
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Anyone with symptoms, which include a high temperature, a new or persistent cough or a loss of taste or smell, will need to book an appointment in advance, as tests will not be given without an appointment.
Cllr Sean Donnelly, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, said: "We have been working very closely with colleagues in the NHS in Cheshire and Merseyside and the Department for Health and Social Care to ensure that we have the most accessible testing facilities for the people of Knowsley.
"I am delighted that we have been able to secure an additional facility here in Knowsley so that our residents and workers will have even greater access to testing should they display any of the symptoms."
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The Kirkby site follows the walk-through testing facility for coronavirus that opened in the middle of Huyton last month, where it will remain for three months.
In September, a number of immediate actions were also brought in for Knowsley after the borough topped the list of highest coronavirus cases in Merseyside.
Kirkby High School also reported one case in Year 7 last month and All Saints Catholic High School reported two unconnected cases in different years, with both schools remaining open.
A number of schools in the borough have also recently been affected by coronavirus cases, including The Prescot School, Lord Derby Academy in Huyton and Meadow Park School, a pupil referral unit in Stockbridge Village.
Passengers in Knowsley are now been urged to ask for a local driver when booking a licensed private hire due to fears over the spread of coronavirus.
And this week, it was also announced that face masks could be given to customers in Knowsley for coronavirus cases if they don't wear one in local stores.
An open letter was sent to managers of large stores in the borough by Cllr Graham Morgan, Leader of Knowsley Council, who said he "looked forward to seeing such measures introduced urgently here" as those announced nationally by Asda.
Appointments for the site in Kirkby will be available on the www.nhs.uk/coronavirus website or by ringing 119.
