The British government is selling a COVID-19 testing site in Coventry just nine months after it was opened. The site, which was operated by Deloitte, was one of the largest testing centers in the country, with the capacity to process up to 300,000 tests per day. However, it failed to meet its initial goal of creating 1,500 jobs. The price of the site has not been disclosed to the public but can be obtained upon request.
Temporary staff who were employed at the site were let go earlier this year, and the last day of testing was on January 16. The decision to sell the site has sparked anger and frustration among local politicians, including Zarah Sultana, the Member of Parliament for Coventry South, and Matt Western, the Member of Parliament for Warwick and Leamington.
Matt Western expressed his outrage, stating that he was “furious” about the sale and accused the government of misleading the public about the site’s long-term plans. He emphasized the significant investment made by the government, with promises that the site would continue to serve as a diagnostic testing center for various diseases, even beyond the pandemic. Western criticized the government for attempting to dispose of the site quietly and in such a short period of time.