Royal Engineers support COVID-19 testing near their Chatham base
The Armed Forces continue to support COVID-19 testing, this time helping key workers in the South East access tests. Find out more about the Armed Forces in Medway:
Where is Medway?
On the South East coast, in Kent, Medway has the UK’s highest infection rate of COVID-19.
The towns with testing sites include Chattenden, the Dockyard at Chatham and Rainham, close to the headquarters and museum of the Royal Engineers, who are supporting the testing.
Who is getting tested?
The first round of tests are for:
- key workers who live and/or work in Medway.
- residents in the areas which have the highest COVID-19 cases.
All of those eligible for a test have been contacted directly.
Who is manning the testing centres?
So far, 145 military personnel from the Royal Engineers have been helping with the testing in Medway towns. These are Lateral Flow Device tests which provide results in 30 minutes: the same used in Liverpool and Merthyr Tydfil (Wales).
The Royal School of Military Engineering and the Royal Engineers Museum are both based in Chatham, near one of the testing locations.
Are there military planners?
A group of specialists from all three services — Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force — are involved in the planning, working with Medway Council and Directors of Public Health.
This is another MACA task (Military Assistance to Civil Authorities) supporting the COVID-19 testing.
For more about testing in Liverpool, click here:
For more on testing in Merthyr Tydfil, click here:
Find out what else the military is doing to support the UK’s response to Covid-19:
