Macclesfield has been the first town in the borough to host a military run mobile coronavirus testing unit in an effort to increase provision.

In an email sent out to Cheshire East councillors, seen by Macclesfield Nub News, the unit was established today (28th April) at Churchill Way car park.

The email confirmed that the units are run by the army on behalf of the Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group.

The email stated: "The testing is available to all self-isolating staff from NHS, local authority, care homes, domiciliary care and the voluntary sector, who must be booked in for testing in advance."

The development comes following complaints across the country that the regional testing centres were too far away for many people, especially those who don't drive.

Establishing the mobile units "may happen at short notice and may cause some short-term local disruption," the email stated.

The pop-up facilities, which can be set up in 20 minutes, see swabs collected by "specially trained" military personnel and taken to one of three "mega labs" to be processed, with results expected within 48 hours.

The mobile facilities are designed to complement the regional testing sites, such as Leighton Hospital, according to the email.

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The government aims to be testing 100,000 people a day for Covid-19 by Thursday.

If you would like to get more information about testing and who is eligible, visit the government's website.