Wolverhampton Council apologises as coronavirus test centre shuts early after busiest day yet
Wolverhampton Council bosses have apologised after people were turned away from a rapid testing centre half an hour before it was due to close.
Monday was said to have been the mass testing site's busiest day since it opened – as more than 760 people were tested with four days until Christmas.
The site at Wolverhampton Civic Centre is open for people with no coronavirus symptoms to be given lateral flow tests, the results of which are available within an hour.
But the centre attracted criticism after a family was turned away at 6.30pm – half an hour before the centre was due to close. Around 20 people were said to have had a wasted journey.
Sarah Ann wrote on Twitter: "Wolverhampton Council, this family were turned away from the rapid testing centre at 6.30pm – they had driven for an hour with a young child.
"Please stop advertising that you are open until 7pm. About 20 of us in total had wasted journeys."
John Denley, Wolverhampton Council's director of public health, apologised to anyone turned away and said the centre had closed early to ensure those already queuing could get tested.
Mr Denley said: "We have seen unprecedented levels of demand for the rapid testing which we have been able to make available to local people. Monday was the busiest day yet at the Civic Centre, with a total of 767 people being tested.
"This has exceeded our expectations and really demonstrates the willingness of the people of Wolverhampton to play their part in the fight against Covid-19 by doing everything they can to prevent the virus from spreading.
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"If there is likely to be a short waiting time at the Civic Centre, we will endeavour to inform visitors of this. Unfortunately, last night [Monday], we had to close the queue at 6.45pm – 15 minutes before closing time – to ensure those already in the queue would be able to get tested.
"We are very sorry to have to turn anyone away, and for any inconvenience this may have caused.
"We now have a second test centre at the Jamia Masjid Bilal, which is open from 10am to 6.30pm except for Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and are advising people to attend that venue if possible as it has additional capacity."
The Civic Centre was the first mass facility of its kind in the West Midlands when it opened earlier this month, following a smaller site at the Guru Nanak Sikh temple in Wolverhampton.
A mass walk-up has now also opened at the Utilita Arena Birmingham - what was the National Indoor Arena - and more sites are planned across Wolverhampton.
The rapid testing sites is not available to people who have been told to isolate by NHS Test and Trace, or those with symptoms of Covid-19, who must self-isolate and book a test at a regular Covid-19 test centre.t.
