Council Leader Cllr Vikki Slade said, “We have moved extremely quickly to identify a suitable site and complete all necessary arrangements and site clearance required to make it available to the Department of Health and Social Care, so that they can begin testing our local NHS and key workers as soon as possible. This means that Dorset’s key workers will have much more convenient access to testing, which is very welcome indeed.”

Site set up will start this week, with tests scheduled to begin on Monday 27 April.

Ward councillor, Cllr Judy Butt, said, “I am honoured to see the park and ride site being used for something so critical in the fight against Covid-19, and to support our key workers and NHS staff. It makes me incredibly proud that the community of Creekmoor can be at the forefront of actions to combat the spread of coronavirus. I have been reassured that all the necessary safety measures have been put in place to ensure that there are no additional risks to my local ward residents.”

This is not a public testing site and members of the public are requested not to attend.

One of a network of site across the UK, the site will be operated by the Department of Health and Social Care for NHS and key workers who are displaying Covid-19 symptoms. Those eligible for testing will need to book appointments, and relevant employers will have details of how their staff can do this. It will be fully enclosed with security on site 24/7.  Appropriate shielding of the site will be in place to protect the privacy of those attending.