Brighton & Hove Albion’s Amex Stadium has been converted into a drive-through COVID-19 testing centre to assist the National Health Service (NHS) during the new coronavirus outbreak, the Premier League club said on Sunday.
Soccer in England has been suspended since March 13 because of the virus that has infected over 2.31 million people globally causing more than 158,000 deaths.
Several Premier League clubs have chipped in to help the NHS workers in United Kingdom, where more than 15,000 people have died due to the virus.
“The Amex will be the biggest testing site anywhere on the south coast, and will be used for self-testing and assisted testing,” Brighton chief executive Paul Barber said in a statement on their website.
The club said the initiative is part of the government’s drive to increase testing for thousands of NHS staff and other key workers fighting to curb the spread of the virus.
“The centre was scheduled to see more than 50 NHS frontline workers on Saturday afternoon, and they will have the results of their tests within 48 hours,” Barber added.
“Within a few days, the site should reach its capacity of up to 1,000 tests a day.”
Tottenham Hotspur have also installed medical equipment in their new stadium to operate drive-through COVID-19 testing and swabbing for NHS staff and their families.
Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea are among other clubs actively involved in helping the NHS staff.
Premier League footballers have also launched a fund to raise money for NHS charities.