A NEW coronavirus testing centre is set to open in York.

The Government-backed asymptomatic test site on York St John University's Lord Mayor’s Walk campus is launching so that students without Covid-19 symptoms can be tested before the end of term.

If their results are positive, they will be supported to self-isolate. Negative results will give reassurance to students and to the communities that they live in. From Monday, November, 30, testing will be available for university students with tests available for staff the following week.

The testing site at York St John University will offer self-swab, lateral flow device tests. Lateral flow devices do not require a laboratory to process the test. Processing of these tests can be conducted at a dedicated testing site by trained personnel and can rapidly turn around results within an hour. Use of lateral flow tests could significantly improve the detection of positive cases, so people can isolate themselves and prevent the spread of the disease. Asymptomatic testing will help to protect those at high risk, find the virus and help enable us to go back to as normal a way of life as possible. York St John University’s facility is part of a city-wide testing capacity in York.

Anyone testing positive for the virus will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace to help them track their contacts. This will help people to identify who they may have been in close contact with, protecting others from further transmission. Close contacts of those testing positive will also hear from NHS Test and Trace, asking them to stay at home for 14 days to prevent them from unknowingly spreading the virus. York St John University is working closely with national Track and Trace to support contact tracing.

All students are encouraged to get tested to help protect themselves and their friends, families and home communities as safe as possible when returning home for the holiday period.

Professor Karen Bryan, Vice Chancellor of York St John University said: “I’m very proud of our University community for responding positively during this window of opportunity to take part in the national asymptomatic testing programme. We want to do everything possible to support our students to keep themselves and their loved ones safe at the end of this term. Our Rapid Response COVID Testing site enables us to play an important role in tackling the pandemic and moving closer to a more normal way of life.”

Universities Minister Michelle Donelan said: “We are committed to get students back to their loved ones for the Christmas holidays as safely as possible, after this challenging year.

“Our plans already minimise the risk of students moving at the end of term, through staggered departure dates in the ‘student travel window’. But testing will offer further assurances that students can keep their families safe this winter, and I urge all students who can to take the tests on offer.”

Click here for more information.