Cheshire East Council deploys enhanced mobile Covid testing units

Following a rapid rise in Covid cases across the borough, largely driven by the Delta variant, Cheshire East Council has brought in several mobile testing units in response to local demand.

Working in partnership with NHS Test and Trace, Cheshire East Council is asking every person living in Macclesfield and Crewe over the age of eighteen, to take a PCR Covid-19 test, even if they are not showing symptoms.

Mobile facilities can be set up in under 20 minutes, allowing the testing of hundreds of people each day and are now travelling to those most in need and hard to reach. Specially trained personnel will collect swabs at the mobile sites before they are sent to an NHS Test and Trace laboratory for processing. Those tested will receive results within 24 hours.

Dr Matt Tyrer, director of public health at Cheshire East Council, said: “Unfortunately cases of Covid are continuing to rise at an alarming rate right across Cheshire East and particularly in and around Macclesfield and Crewe. 

“Supporting our existing network of testing facilities, these mobile testing units will help us to increase our testing capacity for asymptomatic (without symptoms) testing.

“I can’t stress this enough, but it really is important to maintain regular testing, even if you have been vaccinated.

“You may not have felt it was important to get tested before, but this new variant is far more transmissible and you may not know you have got it if you don’t have a test. You could spread it without knowing and we are making it much easier to check.

“Please do make your way to one of the local test sites or mobile units as testing is the only way to be certain if you are positive or not.”

Councillor Jill Rhodes, Cheshire East Council adults and health committee chair, said: “Cases across Cheshire East are rising, especially of the highly transmissible Delta variant, so please keep up your high standards and follow hands, space, face and fresh air along with getting tested on a regular basis.

“If we are to eliminate Covid in Cheshire East then we really need residents to do the right thing which means continuing to follow the national guidance. This is especially important for our younger residents and those who are still to receive either one or both vaccinations.

“If a person tests positive, has any symptoms, or are contact traced following contact with someone who tests positive, they should self-isolate immediately”.

If you have symptoms self-isolate and order a test kit online and if you have no symptoms but live in Macclesfield or Crewe then go to a mobile test site for a test, to stop the spread.

There are three mobile testing units based at the following locations:

• Middlewich Town Football Club, Finney's Lane, Middlewich CW10 9DR (commencing Wednesday 9 June at 9.00am to 4.00pm)
• Cranage Hall Hotel, Byley Lane, Cranage, Holmes Chapel CW4 8EW (commencing Wednesday 9 June at 9.00am to 4.00pm)
• Handforth Youth Centre, Old Rd, Handforth, Wilmslow SK9 3DA (already live with planned deployment until 13 June 2021)

The main symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are:

• a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
• a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual) and;
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal.

Most people with symptoms have at least one of these but more than one in three people do not display symptoms which is why continuing to follow and adhere to hands, space face and fresh air is so critical.

There are also local testing sites in Macclesfield and Crewe for walk-in symptomatic and asymptomatic testing. All necessary measures have been taken to ensure asymptomatic and symptomatic residents do not mix. Opening times and details can be found by going to:

council’s testing web page.