A drive-through coronavirus testing facility is to open in Inverness in a bid to protect frontline NHS staff and other key workers during the pandemic.
The facility will join a network of 35 similar sites across the country and will operate on an appointment-only basis for NHS staff and other key workers.
The testing facility will be located at Inverness Campus and will serve keyworkers from across the Highlands.
Testing at the facility will be in the form of PCR swab tests which are used to identify if you currently have the virus.
Those who return a negative sample for coronavirus will be able to return to work as soon as possible, with the facility also allowing those who test positive time to self-isolate.
UK Government minister and Moray MP Douglas Ross said: “This new UK government-funded testing centre in Inverness will help key workers living in the area continue their vital work, helping to look after those who need it most.
“The UK government has committed to expand our testing capacity right across the UK and this new centre is now one of four throughout Scotland.
“We will continue to work for everyone in the UK to save lives and protect our NHS.”
The testing centre will offer self-administered tests, with those tested receiving their results within a few days.
Health Minister Lord Bethell said: “The UK government is rapidly scaling up the national effort to boost testing capacity for coronavirus to protect the vulnerable, support our NHS, and ultimately save lives.
“This new service will help end the uncertainty of whether NHS and social care staff and other key workers need to stay at home, meaning those who test negative will be able to return to work.
“This is a national effort and we are proud to be working with a number of partners to turn this ambition into a reality and roll out additional capacity to where it is needed.”
Professor John Newton, National Coordinator for the UK Coronavirus Testing Strategy, added: “New testing sites such as this one are a key pillar of our five-pillar plan to scale up testing, and are critical in supporting NHS staff and other frontline workers who are isolating at home to return safely to work if the test is negative.
“This is a brilliant example of industries and businesses turning their resources to creating and rolling out mass testing at scale, which will help to deliver on our aim of carrying out 100,000 tests a day across the UK by the end of the month.”
