Non-symptomatic secondary school staff, pupils and their families urged to get tested

Covid-19 testing is being increased as cases continue to rise in Havering (@LBofHavering) with more testing sites available from this weekend.

All secondary school staff, students and families of children who do not have Covid-19 symptoms are now asked to get a test this weekend.

The testing sites, which are only for those who do not have any symptoms, will be at:

• Havering Town Hall, Main Road, Romford RM1 3BD (site located immediately in front of Town Hall)
• Dorrington Gardens car park, Hornchurch RM12 4HX
• Viking Way car park (council-owned car park not the supermarket car park), Rainham RM13 9YG

The council-owned public car parks at Dorrington Gardens and Viking Way will remain closed from tonight, Friday 11 December until further notice.

The testing sites will be available between 9:00am and 3:00pm on Saturday 12 December, Sunday 13 December and Monday 14 December. More locations will be provided next week for the next 7 days.

Four hundred tests will be available each day at each site and tests will be available on a first-come-first-served basis. Residents do not need to book a test but are asked to bring a smartphone with them if they own one to make the process as quick as possible.

More testing sites are planned to be located at schools over the next week.

Councillor Damian White, Leader of Havering Council, said:

“Testing people who do not have Covid symptoms helps us identify where the disease is spreading and also helps to identify people who may be carrying and spreading the disease without knowing it.”

“This is crucial now as Christmas approaches and families look forward to mixing and meeting.

“We are also aware that rates in young people have been increasing particularly quickly and that’s why our focus for this sort of testing is secondary school staff, pupils and their families.

“I urge those groups who do not have symptoms to step forward and get a test this weekend. More details will soon be shared on further testing options in the next few weeks.”

For anyone experiencing Covid-19 symptoms, including a new continuous cough, high temperature, or loss of sense of taste or smell, a Covid test can be booked via https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.