EDGBASTON Cricket Club is set to become a huge coronavirus drive-thru testing site for NHS staff in a bid to protect frontline workers against the bug.
NHS England hope the temporary facility will be open by the beginning of next week after installing portacabins and setting up tents on Thursday, say the Mirror.
The venue, famously boasting one of the best atmospheres in the country, becomes just the latest drive-thru testing site, after Chessington World of Adventures became the first last week.
There has been an outcry from NHS workers and beyond for staff to be tested as soon as possible so they can get back to work.
Just 5,000 of the 500,000-strong force has so far been tested.
And despite having temporary testing sites set up in nearby Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury, officials have now got to work on another at the Birmingham cricket ground.
Sites in London were eerily quiet on Thursday, with the Chessington facility welcoming just 75 people.
Images quickly circulated of empty bays and testers patiently waiting while wearing face masks and scarves – while signs warned drivers to keep their windows closed.
The latest move is just part of Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s plan to vastly increase the number of tests.
Total UK daily testing for the virus was just 10,657 as of Wednesday – while Germany is carrying out a staggering 70,000 a day.
It will be weeks before we hit the 25,000 mark promised by the PM.
But Hancock has promised 100,000 daily tests by the month’s end as part of a new “five-pillar” strategy.
It includes working with private labs to boost checks on NHS staff — and screening the public to see if they are immune from the virus.
Ministers are also aiming to build more mass-testing facilities to meet future demand.
