What happens when you get a Covid test at Halliwell Jones Stadium

And the Warrington Guardian paid a visit to the new-look home of the Warrington Wolves on Tuesday in order to get tested.

There were no queues at the entrance at the Jack Fish Corner upon arrival, although around 20 to 30 residents were waiting in line in the concourse underneath the East Stand.

After entry, it took around half an hour to get to the front of the queue – which ran roughly the width of the rugby pitch.

Masked and socially-distanced attendees were encouraged to register for their tests while waiting.

Once it was time for the test, subjects were required to use sanitiser on their hands before removing their masks.

This was followed by a self-administered swab to the back of the throat, and another in the nostril.

Around another half an hour later, the results were in by text and emailing – thankfully returning negative.

Roughly 400 tests were carried out in the six hours of opening on the first day, Monday.

A similar asymptomatic site for lateral flow tests also opened at Grappenhall Cricket Club on Monday.

For the first week, the testing centres will be open from 12pm to 6pm on weekdays and from 8am to 3.30pm on Saturdays with no need to book in advance.

Anyone who is displaying symptoms must not attend and should instead book a test via gov.uk or by calling 119.

Warrington Borough Council’s executive board member for public health Cllr Maureen McLaughlin said: “It is really important that people who are not displaying any symptoms are tested onsite regularly so that we can continue to track cases of the virus and limit its transmission wherever possible.

“Please remember, however, that if you are displaying any symptoms of coronavirus you should self-isolate immediately and book a test by visiting the gov.uk website or calling 119.

“Although we all need to stay at home given the current national lockdown, we know that this just isn’t possible for everyone, and these sites have been set up for people who need to leave home to work or provide care.”

The council’s director of public health Thara Raj added: “Asymptomatic testing is really important in trying to get coronavirus rates in Warrington down and these public facing testing sites at the Halliwell Jones Stadium and Grappenhall Cricket Club are for people who cannot work from home.

“You may hear people discussing the effectiveness of the lateral flow tests, but they have been able to pick up a number of people who did not know they had coronavirus because they weren’t displaying any symptoms.

“Getting a negative test does not mean that you can ignore the current rules and you absolutely cannot deviate from the national restrictions, regardless of your test result.

“What we hope, however, is that the tests will play their part in identifying more positive cases, which will help to contain the virus’ transmission.”