The Dumfries walk through testing centre is at Brooms Road Car Park in Dumfries (DG1 2JE)
Commenting on the launch of the walkthrough testing site in Dumfries, Minister of Public Health and Sport Mairi Gougeon said: “Containing and suppressing this virus relies on testing being accessible to everyone. The walkthrough testing centre in Dumfries is the 25th site across Scotland and will further increase our testing capacity ahead of potential spikes as we move through winter.
“Centres like this can be operational in a matter of days, and we are working at pace with NHS National Services Scotland and local authorities to roll out more across the country so that more people have access to local testing.
“We will continue to adapt our testing strategy in line with the different stages of the pandemic. However, testing is only one effective intervention that we are using to manage the virus and it remains vital that people continue to follow physical distancing advice and practise good hand and cough hygiene not just for their own safety but in order to protect others.”
Background
On August 28 the First Minister announced plans to create 22 walk through test centres across the country. 22 sites were established on 17 December and more are due to open in the coming weeks.
The Dumfries walkthrough testing centre is at Brooms Road Car Park in Dumfries (DG1 2JE). It brings the total number of centres in Scotland to 25, with three sites in Edinburgh as well as sites in St Andrews, Aberdeen, West Dunbartonshire, Stirling, Dundee, Inverclyde, Inverness, Cumbernauld, Elgin, East Kilbride, Hamilton, Kilmarnock, Oban, Arbroath, Wick, Galashiels, Dumfries and four in Glasgow. Each local test site has a minimum daily capacity of 300 tests.
People with any of the following symptoms should book a test at nhsinform.scot/test-and-protect or call 0800 028 2816 if they are unable to access the online service:
• a high temperature or fever
• a new continuous cough
• a loss of, or change in sense of smell or taste
The walk through testing sites are part of the UK Government’s testing programme and are in addition to the Regional Test Centres, Mobile Testing Units and Home Test kit provision. The Scottish Government is responsible for the location of test sites in Scotland and is working with local partners to meet the needs of local communities.
