UK Government Minister David Duguid has today [4 September 2020] visited the Aberdeen drive-through coronavirus testing site.
The site is one of six drive-through testing sites across Scotland funded by the UK Government. Mr Duguid viewed the facilities and thanked the dedicated team who are running the site.
Following the visit Minister Duguid said:
The drive-through testing sites, funded by the UK Government, have been crucial in our response to the pandemic and enabled thousands of people in Scotland to get tested quickly.
Over the past few months we have seen how important these are, especially during localised outbreaks. Many people are able to get tested and return to work, safe in knowledge they are not infected.
Today was a fantastic opportunity to see how the site in Aberdeen works and how it fits into our UK-wide network. I would like to thank the Aberdeen team for their contribution to our fight against coronavirus.
The drive-through sites are part of the infrastructure the UK Government has put in place throughout Scotland to boost COVID-19 testing capacity in Scotland. This includes the Lighthouse mega-lab in Glasgow and the opening of the walk-in testing site last week in St Andrews.
This week also saw the Armed Forces officially hand over the running of up to 18 Mobile Testing Units to the Scottish Ambulance Service. Since late April, soldiers have conducted 100,000 coronavirus tests in communities around Scotland.
This is just one part of the UK Government support for people in Scotland throughout the pandemic. In Scotland, the UK Government has protected over 930,000 jobs and granted thousands of businesses loans, airlifted critically ill patients from remote communities and helped convert temporary hospitals and procured millions of pieces of PPE. It is also providing an extra £6.5 billion for the Scottish devolved administration.
The testing facility at Aberdeen airport is run by Sodexo on behalf of the UK Government.
