Banbury’s new COVID testing station operational by 17th November

Decision to open facility at Woodgreen Leisure Centre taken yesterday as Oxfordshire stopped moving from medium to high alert level

Banbury is to get its own full time COVID-19 testing station which will be up and running by November 17th. The news comes as Banbury FM hears that Oxfordshire was stopped from moving up to the COVID High alert level following a decision taken “at the highest level”.

The new testing station will be based at the Woodgreen Leisure Centre, off the Woodgreen Avenue roundabout following a decision taken yesterday. Consideration was given as to whether an outdoor testing area would be created under a canopy, or whether to utilise the area currently used for indoor bowls. Councillors have selected the indoor option as the best one.

The government’s contractors Deloitte’s will operate the testing station. A site survey is due to be completed this coming Friday ahead of the testing facility being set up on Monday 16th November. It will go live the next day.

To date the closest testing site to Banbury has been the Oxford Parkway Park and Ride to the south of us, although some people have been sent to other testing facilities further afield. Earlier this year a mobile testing site was based at Cherwell District Council’s HQ at Bodicote House, but this was only operational on a part-time basis. It is now felt a full-time facility is needed for the town.

In the last seven days 61 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the north of the Cherwell District. Banbury FM has been told the majority of current cases are mainly younger people. Earlier this week a joint statement was issued by Oxfordshire County Council and the District Councils warning that Oxfordshire was on the edge of moving to the next alert level: high. We understand the need to increase the alert level was supported locally, but overruled “at the highest level”.