Mosques to offer Covid-19 testing under pilot scheme
Mosques across a Black Country borough are set to offer Covid-19 testing under a new pilot scheme.
A partnership between the Union of Muslim Organisations (UMO) and Walsall Council will see lateral flow tests sent out to mosques in areas with higher infection rates.
The meeting with Paul Gordon, Walsall Council's director of resilient communities, and Jonathan Wilkes and Sebastian Baugh of Public Health, was organised to facilitate easier Covid-19 testing in places of worship and in other areas using mobile units.
The partnership will see also a pilot walk-in lateral flow test service take place at the Abu Bakr Trust in Walsall on Friday, April 9.
There will be two mobile units placed in the car park fronting Wednesbury Road and the walk-in tests will be open to all.
Mohammed Arif, interim-chair of UMO thanked Walsall Council for partnering with mosques and UMO and spoke about future plans for testing at mosques.
He said: "I would like to thank Paul Gordon at Walsall Council and their Public Health Officers for working in partnership with Walsall mosques through UMO to help to reduce infection rates.
"This can happen by making these Covid-19 self-tests readily accessible via these testing kits, with each kit containing six tests.
"UMO will continue to liaise with Walsall Council to make a room in key mosques in each area a walk-in Covid-19 testing station with trained volunteers as a potential future project.
"A number of mosques have already volunteered to host the self-service lateral testing station.
"I also want to thank Imam Luqman at Abu Bakr Trust for hosting this pilot at their car park".
Imam Mohammad Luqman, executive chairman at Abu Bakr Trust said: "Abu Bakr Trust are delighted to host this facility to make lateral testing easier for the general public.
"I have offered to host a fixed testing station inside our institution.
"We are open to the public and we will everything possible to help to protect the locals from the Covid-19."
The testing pilot will take place at Masjid Abu Bakr, 156-160 Wednesbury Road, Walsall from 11am to 5pm on Friday, April 9.
