A Covid testing centre is being set up at the council-owned car park by Dreamland.
The centre will provide both a drive through and a walk through service and is being operated by Deloitte which already runs the testing site at Manston airport.
The site is being opened on October 15 as part of the Government’s UK-wide drive to continue to improve the accessibility of coronavirus testing for local communities.
Testing will be available only for those with coronavirus symptoms – a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.
Anyone with one or more of these symptoms should book a test at nhs.uk/coronavirus or by calling 119.
From the start of the pandemic, testing has been prioritised for the most vulnerable, including patients in clinical settings and care home residents, vital health and care staff and to manage outbreaks.
The Margate site will be easily accessible without a car.
Those being tested will be required to follow public health measures, including social distancing, not travelling by taxi or public transport, practising good personal hygiene and wearing a face-covering throughout, including while travelling to and from the testing centre.
The site is part of the largest network of diagnostic testing facilities created in British history, which now includes more than 500 sites available across the UK, including 77 drive-through sites, 156 walk-through sites, 258 mobile units, home testing and satellite kits and five mega laboratories.
Anyone testing positive for the virus in England will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace to help them trace their contacts. This will help people to identify who they may have been in close contact with, protecting others from further transmission.
Close contacts of those testing positive will also hear from NHS Test and Trace, asking them to stay at home for 14 days to prevent them from unknowingly spreading the virus. They will be advised to also book a test if they develop symptoms.
Tests involve taking a swab of the nose and the back of the throat, which can be done by the person themselves (self-administered) or by someone else (assisted). Those being tested may experience some mild discomfort but it should not hurt.
Anyone taking a test at a test site can expect their results the next day.
