Testing site for people without Covid symptoms opens in Elm Park

A testing centre for people without Covid symptoms has opened at Elm Park Library.

The site, in St Nicholas Avenue, is being exclusively used for lateral flow tests, which provide results within 30 minutes and identify the virus in people without symptoms.

It is being operated on a walk-in, first come first serve basis, with eight testing booths, and is the first community testing site operating in Havering.

Those eligible to use the site,  open daily from 10am to 7pm, are people who travel to work on public transport, carers for the elderly or vulnerable and tradespeople who visit homes as part of their work.

Collier Row, Gidea Park, Harold Wood and South Hornchurch libraries have also been closed until further notice.

A Havering Council spokesperson said: "We are working with the Department for Health and Social Care to assess which of these sites would be best for the community testing programme, and plan to have the second site open during the first week of January."

They added that the council is developing an online booking system for community testing.