New mobile coronavirus testing unit run by the Army is set to open in Greenock today

The facility will be stationed at the Waterfront Leisure Centre and it will be able to be deployed elsewhere in the district as required.

Testing will be available for key workers, people over 65, and individuals who have to leave home to go to work.

People living in the same households as the aforementioned groups can also have swabs taken.

The unit will run alongside Inverclyde's health and social care key worker testing programme outside the health centre in Port Glasgow and will supplement the existing public testing site at Glasgow Airport.

Inverclyde Council leader Stephen McCabe has welcomed the arrival of the unit, which comes after an urgent call was made last week for extra capacity.

He said: "This is an additional testing facility to support the community and our key workers across Inverclyde.

"The benefit of the mobile testing site is that is can visit locations across the area if required but crucially it will increase the local capacity for tests.

"With so many people affected by coronavirus in our area it is welcome that we now have this additional testing capacity.

"It will help to support our community and give a clearer indication of the rate of infection across Inverclyde."

All staff working for Inverclyde health and social care partnership, the NHS and social care providers will continue to access the Port Glasgow testing facility.

To find out more about arranging a test visit www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested/pages/arrange-a-test/