Tottenham Hotspur released a video on Wednesday showing the drive-through COVID-19 testing for NHS staff, families and their dependants which is being conducted at the club’s stadium.
Tottenham Hotspur are the first Premier League club to provide space and facilities for testing. The basement car park at the club’s stadium is being used by London’s North Middlesex University Hospital staff as well as their families and dependants.
Ten nurses are conducting the tests from Monday to Friday between 0900-1300GMT. The stadium has also been fitted out to house the North Middlesex Hospital’s Women’s Outpatient Services, freeing up capacity at the hospital to treat patients with COVID-19 symptoms.
This comes in the same week that Tottenham Hotspur announced they had reversed their decision to furlough staff during the coronavirus pandemic amid criticism from supporters.
Spurs had imposed a 20% pay cut on 550 non-playing staff in April and May to protect jobs.
But the club said on Monday (April 13) that only board members would see salary reductions and all other employees – whether full-time, casual, or furloughed – would be paid 100% of their wages for April and May.
The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) had said the club’s decision to use the government scheme – where employers can claim for 80% of furloughed staff’s monthly wages up to 2,500 pounds ($3,126) per month – was harming its reputation.
It added on Monday that the club’s latest decision showed “maturity and humility.”
Professional soccer in England had been suspended until April 30. The Premier League has said the season will only resume when the situation stabilises.
