Making use of its central location, a local mosque has opened its doors to become Stoke-on-Trentโs first religious venue to offer mass COVID-19 testing.
The City Central Masjid in Hanley is open on Wednesdays where people of all faiths are welcome to take the covid testing.
โAs weโre in a central and accessible location in the city, I felt it was important to offer our space for testing,โ Iman Amar, of City Central Mosque, told StokeonTrent Live.
๐ Read Also: Bradford Faith Leaders Urge Community to Vaccinate
โWe want to integrate the wider community with the convenience of testing and highlight that within our own community we are actively supporting one another during these tough times.
โWe hosted community testing for the first time on Wednesday (January 13) and I was pleased with how successful it was.
โPeople who came felt safe and comfortable and there was lots of space for people to get test.โ
Everyone Is Welcome
Fahmida Rahman, chairwoman of Stepping Stones community organization, which provides the internet connection for the center, welcomed people to get the test.
โWe are at the heart of the community and we are encouraging people to come and have a test,โ she said.
โA member of the testing team demonstrated what it is like to have a test to give reassurance to the community and show it is not complicated to come and get tested. It is a straight-forward process and people can get their results pretty quickly.
โThe testing station is for all members of the community.โ
People who took the test at the venue praised the organized venue and volunteers.
โIt was straight-forward and was a painless exercise. I work in construction and they want us to have regular tests to give ourselves and customers peace of mind,โ Lee Caulston, aged 37, of Blurton, said.
Groundworker Grzegorz Lewandowski, aged 41, of Burslem, added: โIt was perfect, absolutely perfect. I booked it online and it was pretty simple and tells you step by step what you have to do.โ
