New testing programme to halt COVID-19

Around one in three people with COVID-19 have no symptoms and will spread it without realising.

Now, to stop this risk, Leeds City Council has opened three testing stations across the city for asymptomatic people who can’t work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. These are located as follows:

• Headingley Campus, Leeds Beckett University, LS6 3QS (Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm).
• City Campus, Leeds Beckett University, LS1 3HE (Monday to Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm).
• The Old Fire Station, Gipton, LS9 6NL (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9am to 3.30pm; Wednesday 2pm to 8pm; Saturday 9am to 3pm).

Public health chiefs in the city hope as many workers as possible will take part in the new initiative to protect both themselves and others.

Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s executive member for public health, said: “We’ve launched this initiative to help drive down transmission rates. Increased community testing is a vital additional tool at our disposal to help identify those who are infected and infectious, but unaware that they might be spreading the disease. Broadening testing to identify those showing no symptoms will mean finding positive cases more quickly, and breaking chains of transmission.

“I’d encourage as many asymptomatic people as possible who can’t work from home to take advantage of this new service. By doing so, they’ll not only be protecting themselves, but also all those around them.”

For full details of all COVID-19 testing options in Leeds please visit https://www.leedsccg.nhs.uk/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-where-to-go-for-testing/.