Councillor Phil Bateman said today, “what an amazing contribution our Hub has made in trying to keep people safe from Covid-19. Read about the contribution it has made to Wolverhampton’s fight against the Virus.”
Since opening in January, more than 7,000 tests have been completed at The Hub at Ashmore Park, while over 4,000 test kits have also been given out for residents to use at home.
The site will close on Friday (12 November), enabling the hub to reopen for regular community activities early in the new year.
Free rapid testing, for people without symptoms of Covid-19, remains available at the Civic Centre (Monday to Friday, 8am-6pm), the Jamia Masjid Bilal, Newhampton Road (10am-7pm, daily), New Cross Hospital (by the Eye Infirmary, Monday to Friday, 8am-4pm) – which is the nearest site to Ashmore Park – and at participating pharmacies across the city.
Alternatively, people can collect free rapid Covid-19 home test kits from the Civic Centre, the test centre at New Cross Hospital, Bilston and Wolverhampton markets and WV Active leisure centres, or from selected local pharmacies. Please note, anyone collecting test kits from a pharmacy must register for a collection code in advance, either online at www.gov.uk/get-collect-code or by calling 119.
Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “One in three people with Covid-19 do not have any symptoms but could be infectious and so rapid testing continues to be a vital weapon in our fight against Covid-19.
“The Hub at Ashmore Park has played an important part in this, delivering over 7,000 tests on site and handing out thousands more home test kits over the last 10 months.
“The test centre will close at the end of this week to enable The Hub at Ashmore Park to reopen as a community centre and library in due course, and I would like to thank everyone who has helped out over the past 10 months.
“Rapid testing will still be widely available across the city; you can get a free test at one of our other test centres or at participating pharmacies, or by using test kits in the comfort of home.
“Getting tested twice a week, and particularly before you meet up with people you don’t live with, will help stop the spread of Covid-19 and keep this deadly virus under control, so please make rapid testing part of your regular routine.”
James Clarke, Chairperson at Ashmore Park Community Association, said: “We’d like to give our thanks to everyone who has been involved in running the testing from our building. This service has provided a real benefit to the local community during the pandemic and we are proud to have played a part.
“We now look to the future and hope to begin reopening this much-loved community facility to regular activities in the new year. Please see our website, https://the-hub.info/, and social media profiles for updates.”
For details of rapid testing, for people without symptoms of Covid-19, please visit www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/get-tested.
People with symptoms of Covid-19 are reminded they must self-isolate and book a PCR test by calling 119 or visiting www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test.
Latest figures show there were 264.4 new cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people in Wolverhampton over the last seven days. That means 695 people tested positive for the virus in that same period – though the true number of cases will likely be higher.
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