Enfield Council’s will open the first community rapid testing centre in the borough tomorrow (Saturday 19 December) so residents without symptoms can be tested for coronavirus without needing to make an appointment.
The launch of borough-wide rapid Lateral Flow Testing (LFT) for Enfield residents will help to stop the spread of coronavirus earlier by identifying people who may not know they have the virus and enabling them to self isolate – before they develop symptoms.
Those residents testing positive will be referred for a follow-up test to confirm the result.
Those people with a negative result will be able to continue with their daily activities, while following the existing current Tier 3 restrictions which can be found here .
The centre at Klinger Hall, in Copperfield Mews N18 1PF, which opened on 19 December, will be joined by a number of other test centres across the borough in the coming days and weeks.
Each will be capable of delivering nearly 900 tests per day with a total borough target of around 151,000 tests over the next six weeks. They will complement the five test centres in the borough that offer tests for people who have coronavirus symptoms.
There is no need to book a test at the centres, and residents without symptoms can simply turn up during the centre’s opening hours – Klinger Community Hall with be open from 10am to 6pm Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 December
Attendees will be expected to wear a mask (unless exempt) and strict public health social distancing arrangements will be put in place to protect residents and staff at the centres.
Enfield Council Leader, Cllr Nesil Caliskan, said: “We have acted rapidly to set up community testing centres in Enfield to protect members of the public and slow the spread of coronavirus within our most affected communities.”
“Identifying those individuals who have this virus and ensuring they self-isolate and do not spread it to others means we can bring COVID-19 under control and get back to a semblance of normality. Equally being able to identify people that test negative allows them to go about their life without having to isolate unnecessarily”
“We are working tirelessly to tackle coronavirus in Enfield but we need residents to help us by doing everything they can by being tested and by following the public health advice to wear a mask if in shops or on public transport, socially distancing and washing your hands regularly.”
Residents who have symptoms of the virus should isolate to protect those around them and our community as a whole. People with symptoms- a high temperature, a new, continuous cough or a loss or change to their sense of taste or smell – should arrange for a PCR test which can be booked by ringing 119 or visiting the govennment’s testing webpage.
