Covid-19 walk-through testing centre opens up at car park

A new walk-through Covid-19 testing centre has opened in Inverness.

Created by the UK Government, the new centre is located in the car park of the headquarters of Highland Council, and will be operated by Mitie.

The centre is one of 11 created in Scotland so far, with the Scottish Government aiming to have 22 open over the winter period.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced this week that Scotland aims to increase testing capacity to 65,000 tests per day by building three regional testing hubs in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen as well as increasing the amount of testing done by the UK Government.

Scotland Office minister David Duguid said: “The UK Government is helping all parts of the UK fight the coronavirus pandemic and this new walk-through testing centre in Inverness will make it easier for people to get tested.

“Testing is vital, helping to manage local outbreaks and protecting people’s livelihoods.

“The UK Government is providing the bulk of Covid testing in Scotland, and this new walk-through centre is just the latest in our extensive testing network.

“We are pleased to be working with local and commercial partners. These sites are not possible without the hard work of many people and I would like to thank everyone involved for their hard work to get this testing centre up and running.”