Mobile Testing Units: testing for Coronavirus
Armed Forces personnel have been putting up Mobile Testing Units (MTU) to help essential workers and the most vulnerable to receive Coronavirus tests
New mobile testing units will travel the country to provide vital frontline workers with tests so those testing negative to safely return to work.
Frontline workers and the most vulnerable will receive increased access to coronavirus tests after a network of MTUs will travel to those who may be most vulnerable, including care homes, police stations, fire and rescue services and prisons.
In just under 20 minutes the military personnel can set up a these fully functioning MTUs, allowing the testing of hundreds of people each day.
Today, there are currently 8 existing mobile units carrying out tests across the country, including in Salisbury, Southport and Teesside — with plans to increase this to a network of at least 96 ready to be deployed by the start of May.
These new mobile testing units will help the UK achieve the goal of 100,000 coronavirus tests a day.
The new units will work alongside the country’s drive-through test sites, sending patient samples to the network of Lighthouse Labs, to rapidly increase the number of tests done each day — the Armed Forces role is to conduct and collect the tests.
These tests are undertaken by Specially trained Armed Forces personnel will collect swabs at the mobile sites, before they are sent for processing — those tested will receive their results within 48 hours.
The key workers who wish to be tested pre-book their slot via a Government website, they then get allocated a time slot.
Upon arrival at the site, the personnel on the ground take their registration details and issue them with their testing kits.
They are then moved to a parking area where they self administer the test before finally moving to a clearing area where the tests are collected.
A number of Armed Forces personnel from across the country have been helping out, for example;
- Royal Marines from 42 Commando Royal Marines, Plymouth, have been at Torquay Coach Station, Devon
- Soldiers from 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment have been at Kendal Leisure Centre.
- Soldiers from The Grenadier Guards have been at a testing facility at Dulwich
- The Royal Anglian Regiment have been at a testing facility in Hemel Hempstead.
And Soldiers from 66 Works Group Royal Engineers helped develop the concept of the MTU in just under 7 days — converting a crew transport van into the specialised MTUs being used today.
Our Armed Forces will help deliver testing to where it’s most needed, using a network of up to 96 mobile units that will be rolled out in the coming weeks.
They will make sure our care sector get the testing required to remain in the frontline of the fight against this pandemic.
