More Covid testing centres open – with 7-day access

Two more testing centres for coronavirus will open in Bury in the next few days – and will be open seven days a week.

The centres, which will be by appointment only, will be at the former Radcliffe Pool site (open from Thursday 1 Oct) and at the Metro Christian Centre in Bury (from 8 Oct).

These complement the existing bases in Bury and Whitefield, and further testing centres will open in the coming weeks in Prestwich and Ramsbottom to ensure that local access is provided in all parts of the borough.

Health leaders advise residents to remember that only people with the symptoms of coronavirus should book a test: these are a high temperature, a new continuous cough, or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.

Bury has two walk-through centres, at the Mosses Centre and Chesham Fold, which are open from 10am to 3pm, Monday to Friday.

The walk-through testing centre at Whitefield Library will close from Friday (2 Oct) and switch to an appointment-only service when it reopens next Thursday (8 Oct). This will be open for longer - from 8am until 8pm, 7 days a week - and bookable via the national portal.

Bury also has a drive through-testing site at Waterfold Business Park available by appointment which can be requested via the Bury Council website.

The two new centres are as follows:

Radcliffe:

• From 1 Oct – at the former Radcliffe Pool car park, Blackburn Street, Radcliffe, M26 1NG.
• Open 8am until 8pm, 7 days a week
• By appointment: People cannot walk-in to this service, appointments can be booked online via the national portal:https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test

Bury:

• From 8 October – at the Metro Christian Centre, 13 Parkhills Road, Bury, BL9 9AU
• Open 8am until 8pm, 7 days a week
• By appointment: People cannot walk-in to this service, appointments can be booked online via the national portal:https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test

Councillor Andrea Simpson, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “We are working hard to ensure that anyone from Bury that needs a test can get one, at a location close to where they live.

“With walk-through, drive-through, bookable and home tests now all available, local people have a number of options, and we are really pleased to have additional centres due to open in the north and the south of the borough very soon.

“Demand for testing remains high, so please only request a test if you have symptoms and, if you book an appointment that you decide you don’t need, please cancel it to free it up for someone else who needs a test.”

For the very latest information on testing availability in Bury and further afield, visit: https://www.bury.gov.uk/coronavirus-testing or call 0161 253 5515, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays).

ENDS

Press release issued: 29 September 2020.