Anfield to host COVID-19 testing as LFC backs new city scheme
Liverpool Football Club is backing the ground-breaking COVID-19 mass testing scheme, which will launch in the city on Friday - with Anfield to be utilised as a screening venue from next week.
Jürgen Klopp and his players, as well as Vicky Jepson and the LFC Women squad, have declared their support for the programme and encouraged everyone who lives and works in Liverpool to get tested.
In addition, Anfield stadium will act as one of seven testing sites in the coming days, which are opening their doors from 9am GMT until 7pm daily.
Other centres, all of which open on Friday, will be located at:
- Lifestyles Alsop Fitness Centre
- Lifestyles Walton
- Lifestyles Ellergreen
- Lifestyles Park Road
- Liverpool Tennis Centre
- Lifestyle Garston
Testing centres should only be attended by people who are not displaying symptoms.
Anyone displaying COVID-19 symptoms can still attend any of the existing centres or a mobile testing unit, which can be booked via www.gov.uk/coronavirus.
For the first day, all the centres will accommodate walk-ins. Testing slots can also be booked via www.gov.uk/testliverpool or using the NHS COVID-19 app. People are advised there may be queues at these locations.
Hundreds of thousands of tests will be made available over the trial period which will include:
- Lateral flow test (LFT): a simple self-swab test which will give results in under an hour.
- Existing swab tests: mouth and nose swabs that will supply results within 48 to 72 hours.
Everyone in the city is being asked to get tested, but there is specific emphasis in asking health and care workers, other emergency services and key workers, school staff and pupils, university staff and students to come forward.
More centres will be opened in the coming days and it is expected that the pilot will last initially for around 10 days, with a view to it being extended. Liverpool City Council will be supported by the military in the planning, coordination and delivery of whole-city testing.
Testing will be carried out in new and existing test sites, using home kits, in hospitals and care home settings, and schools, universities and workplaces.
Positive results from tests will be collected by NHS Test and Trace and published as part of the daily case numbers, including how many positive cases are detected with this new method of testing. Results will be received from NHS Test and Trace via text and email. Anyone coming for a test should bring a mobile phone with them.
Anyone who tests positive, using either a lateral flow test or an existing swab test, must self-isolate along with their household immediately and their contacts will be traced. Those who test negative will need to continue to follow all national guidance. In addition, anybody testing positive via the lateral flow testing may be asked to take a second confirmatory PCR test.
These more advanced tests will help identify infectious individuals who are not displaying symptoms and help find more positive cases so they can self-isolate and prevent the virus from spreading, in a first step towards rolling out mass testing more widely across the UK.
To read the FAQs about the mass testing, click here.
