Video Shows Shocking 'Five Hour' Queue As People Wait For Covid Tests At Walk-In Centre

This video below shows a queue of hundreds of people waiting for hours to receive a coronavirus test at a walk-in centre in Bury, Greater Manchester.

It was taken by 43-year-old Tony Kirvin, who had taken his 14 year-old son Michael to get tested after the boy began showing mild symptoms of coronavirus and was sent home from school.

Tony had been advised that the nearest testing centre was an 120 mile round trip away – an option that simply wasn’t feasible – particularly given his son’s autism.

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Opting to go to a walk-in medical centre near their home instead, however, they were stunned to find hundreds of people queuing, with many of those waiting not even wearing masks. They were told there was ‘no chance’ they’d get in as the waiting time was already at least five hours.

The dad-of-four said: “We couldn’t find a test anywhere until I saw this walk-in place.

“But when we arrived the queue was huge – there must have been at least 100 people.

“My son is autistic, no way he could stand in a queue that long. He’d have a meltdown.”

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Thankfully for Kirvin – who works as a full-time carer – he managed to get a test done for his son at the nearby Heywood site and is now awaiting the results.

Bury councillor Andrea Simpson has urged people not to go to walk-in centres for Covid tests unless they are sure they’re showing Covid-19 symptoms – urging them to instead follow government advice on where their nearest Covid-specific drive-through and walk-in testing centres are.

She said: “Bury has opened a number of walk-through testing centres to improve access and options for local people that are experiencing symptoms of coronavirus, additional sites are due to open very soon.

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“Demand for testing is increasing at a national level and in response to this, having these local testing options helps to meet this demand locally.

“As a result of this demand, our walk-through centres have become increasingly busy, and whilst the centres will test as many symptomatic people as possible, at busy times, there may be a wait, and if demand is very high people may be asked to consider other testing options.

Credit: SWBS

“It’s really important that our walk-through centres are reserved for people who are experiencing symptoms of coronavirus, many people coming to the centres have no symptoms.

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“People not experiencing symptoms should not request a test and will not be tested at the centres.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently announced a ‘moonshot’ plan that could see people get tested and receive their Covid test results within 20 minutes. Trials for it begin in Salford next month, with hopes to roll it out nationally by spring next year.

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