Call for local testing centre for Wrexham as residents have to travel to Deeside or Chester for tests

Councillors in Wrexham have called for a public Covid-19 testing centre to help combat the virus.

Plaid Cymru councillor Carrie Harper said her group was calling for a town-centre testing centre after complaints that the nearest public Covid-19 testing centres were in Chester or Deeside.

There is a testing unit at the Maelor Hospital that is run by the Health Board, and is used for NHS staff and their families who require a COVID-19 test, and Wrexham.com have been told there is no wider public or private testing taking place there.

She said: “One key way to defeating this virus is to have an effective testing regime in place. We’ve seen in recent months that, if there are local testing facilities, then people will use them. My concern is that a third of households in Wrexham do not have a car and how are they therefore meant to get to Chester or Deeside to be tested? Yes, there is a regular bus route to Chester but I don’t think anyone would advise someone with Covid-19 symptoms to use public transport.”

“We need a local testing centre for people in Wrexham. We’re the biggest town in north Wales and the surrounding villages mean we have a population of 135,000.”

“If we’re serious about tackling Covid-19, we have to improve our testing. The track and protect system – which appears to be working quite effectively – is only as good as the initial testing and if people in the Wrexham area aren’t able to be tested quickly and conveniently, then we’ve got a problem.”

Cllr Harper also commented on a ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown or extra measures, as is being proposed in some quarters, “I’m getting very concerned on behalf of workers and small businesses that have relied on support to get them through the first six months of the pandemic. They’re seeing that support diminish in the coming weeks and I really fear we’re going to see lots of job losses, business closures and uncertainty going forward if there isn’t clear political leadership from the Welsh and UK Governments to provide reassurance and solid support.”