A new south east London coronavirus testing site in Abbey Wood is set to open this week, it has been revealed as Covid-19 rates spike across the borough.
Bexley's latest site is a walk-through testing facility for those with virus symptoms at the Felixstowe Car Park.
With Bexley in the midst of a large spike in Covid-19 cases, one of the highest in London, the new site is part of a UK-wide Government response to testing shortages across the country.
Cllr Teresa O’Neill OBE, leader of Bexley Council, said: "Having another local testing site in the borough is great news for local people.
"We are still battling this terrible virus and by sticking to the latest Government restrictions, getting a test if you need one and following the isolation rules, we can beat it.”
Opening from Tuesday, November 16, the Abbey Wood site (SE2 9RZ) will open from 8am to 8pm daily by appointments only, with appointments made available each day.
Accessible on foot, the testing centre is being operated in partnership with G4S and will offer self-administered tests.
Testing is only available for those with coronavirus symptoms – a high temperature, a new continuous cough, or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.
Anyone with one or more of these symptoms should book a test at nhs.uk/coronavirus or by calling 119.
Other people in an individual’s household should not get a test unless they also have any of the three symptoms listed above. However, all members of the household need to self-isolate while waiting for the test result.
If you have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) but cannot get a test within five days of your symptoms first developing, you must protect yourself and others by self-isolating for 14 days.
Those being tested will be required to follow public health measures, including social distancing, not travelling by taxi or public transport, practising good personal hygiene and wearing a face covering throughout, including while travelling to and from the testing centre.
Anyone attending an appointment at a walk-through test site will be provided with guidance on getting to and from the test site safely, with additional support for vulnerable groups and people with disabilities.
The other testing sites in Bexley are at 221 Erith Road, Bexleyheath and a mobile testing unit at Sidcup Manor House.
Other sites are located in Eltham, Greenwich, Deptford in Lewisham and St Paul's Cray in Bromley.
Baroness Dido Harding, Interim Executive Chair of the National Institute for Health Protection, commented: “Walk through sites offer communities better access to coronavirus testing, so everyone with symptoms can get a test.
"This new site is part of our ongoing work to expand our testing network across the UK which now has the capacity to process more than 500,000 tests a day.
"We will continue to expand capacity to improve test turnaround times and push forward testing innovations to make sure anyone who needs a test can get one."
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