Amersham’s leisure centre will be the next location for a coronavirus mobile testing site run by the military in Buckinghamshire, which comes into operation from Friday, May 15.

It will run for up to three days from The Chiltern Pools and Gym in Bensheim Way, off Chiltern Avenue.

It comes after members of the Army ran a mobile testing site from Handy Cross Park and Ride for three days last week, followed by Buckingham and Aylesbury.

Anyone who is eligible and wishes to be tested at the Amersham mobile site must arrange an appointment on the national booking website first – self-referral.test-for-coronavirus.service.gov.uk.

Tests must be booked and are not available on a ‘drop-in’ basis. You can also book a test at a different location via this website.

Only certain categories of people are eligible for testing at this time, like NHS or other essential workers (and some household members), or people over 65 with coronavirus symptoms.

People being tested must bring appropriate ID (like an NHS ID card) or a letter/email from their employer to confirm their key worker status.

Anyone visiting the site is urged to follow the signage carefully as a one-way system will be in operation.

Gareth Williams, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Community Engagement at Buckinghamshire Council, said: “This is the fourth mobile testing site to come to Buckinghamshire in the last ten days, which is great news as we continue to work together to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

"We would urge anyone who thinks they should be tested, and who is eligible, to please book a slot at the Amersham site.

“We would also like to thank any nearby residents for their understanding as this site comes into operation – we are sure they will appreciate the importance of these testing services at this time.”

Dr Raj Bajwa, GP and Chair of NHS Buckinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group, added: “Testing is essential to help keep NHS services running smoothly during this outbreak, and to help vulnerable people stay as safe as possible from coronavirus infection.

"These mobile sites will offer a great boost to our testing capabilities in Buckinghamshire, so we hope they will be well-used by those that need them.”

Tests are being offered to the following categories of people, and, in some cases, members of their household:

• All those working on the frontline in health and social care (with or without symptoms)

• Patients in the NHS and residents in care homes (with or without symptoms)

• All essential workers with symptoms

• Anyone over 65 with symptoms

• Anyone who goes into work because they cannot work from home (e.g. construction workers) and has symptoms

• Anyone who has symptoms and lives with someone who meets any of the above criteria

For more on eligibility, go to www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested