North Middlesex University Hospital has expanded its drive-through COVID-19 testing and swabbing service at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which opened on April 8.
The service was initially opened for North Middlesex staff and families but extra testing capacity will now be made available for free to key workers from other health and social care organisations, including care homes and the wider public sector.
Key workers in the health and care sector who are displaying symptoms and require a test are being advised to call the stadium testing hotline between 10am and 3.30pm from Monday to Friday. Individuals who are clinically appropriate for swabbing according to the latest national guidance will be allocated a testing slot.
Maria Kane, chief executive of North Middlesex University Hospital, said: “Whether locally or nationally, the NHS can only ever look after people in the way our local communities value so highly by working hand in hand with partners, and that’s particularly true when it comes to colleagues in social care.
“So we’re very pleased to be able to extend our staff testing facilities free of charge to partners in the care sector and other health providers, and continue to be grateful to Spurs for their ongoing support and their own commitment to our local community in these challenging times.”
Edgbaston, home of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, will step up its support for the COVID-19 relief effort by becoming a food sorting and distribution centre for Thrive Together Birmingham, a local charity.
The centre will support local foodbanks and community groups, with Thrive Together Birmingham to store non-perishable food within the stadium’s exhibition hall. The charity will work with volunteers to sort, repackage and distribute items to organisations in need.No food donations can be made on-site at Edgbaston, with the nearby St. Mary and Saint Ambrose Church to act as a collection centre between 11am and 3.30pm every Friday.
Last month, Warwickshire donated Edgbaston to the Department of Health and Social Care to create a drive-through COVID-19 testing station. The facility is being used to test NHS staff working in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands region of England.
Ravi Masih, head of community engagement at Warwickshire and lead of the Edgbaston Foundation, said: “Since we moved into the forced stadium closure, club staff have been committed to doing all that we can to make a difference in our local community by providing free use of our stadium and grounds, fundraising for important causes, and through volunteering.
“We’re thrilled that we can build on our community response during this period by working with such a fantastic charity, in Thrive Together Birmingham, to support those in need.”
The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, home of Formula One’s Mexican Grand Prix, has opened up a temporary hospital to treat patients with COVID-19.
Eight modules, each hosting 24 beds, have been set up at the hospital, along with intensive care beds.
F1 is due to host its Mexican Grand Prix at the circuit in November.
Liberty Stadium, home of Championship football club Swansea City, has been made available as a COVID-19 testing centre for health and social care staff.
Work on the drive-through unit is being carried out this week and it is hoped the centre will be finished by Friday. Liberty Stadium will be able to host up to 360 people per day.
The unit will be based in the North car park at Liberty Stadium and will have its own dedicated vehicle entrance. Swansea is also hosting daily NHS nurse training sessions at Liberty Stadium.
Rotherham United’s AESSEAL New York Stadium will also be used as a base for COVID-19 testing, the League One club has announced.
Rotherham was contacted by the English Football League (EFL) about the opportunity and the club has welcomed representatives from the Department of Health and Social Care to the stadium grounds to set up the testing centre.
Tests are taking place for three days and started yesterday (Monday). Tests are by invitation only for essential workers.
Italian Serie A football club Bologna has teamed up with its food and beverage partners to distribute basic food items and health kits to local people in need.
Bologna said that Italpizza, Villani, Piadina Loriana, Yoga, Cerelia, Dino Corsini, Partesa and Granarolo responded “right away” to its call to action. As well as food donations, Bologna will supply health kits with masks and sanitation products.
Packages will be purchased directly by the club and delivered to the relevant associations, including Arca della Misericordia and the Case Zanardi Network for Food Assistance in Bologna.
