Free regular COVID-19 testing for families and childcare support bubbles in Hackney
To support the return to school and help reduce the spread of the virus, regular rapid testing is now available to the households and childcare support bubbles of all school and college aged children and young people.
The groups eligible for regular rapid testing have been expanded as part of the new measures designed to support the successful return to face-to-face education and childcare settings.
Alongside those who need to leave home during the current lockdown, parents and other adults in households or childcare support bubbles with children at school or college should be testing at least once a week.
Tests are fast, easy and free of charge. Families and childcare support bubbles can collect home test kits regularly from a Local Testing Site in Hackney after 1:30pm at a number of sites in Hackney or order directly to their home via online delivery.
Regular testing alongside the vaccination roll out and continuing to practice ‘hands, face, space’ will help keep infection rates down and schools open.
Regular testing is one of the main ways we can exit this pandemic. As one in three people with coronavirus don’t show symptoms, it is really important that we are all getting rapid no-symptoms tests at least once a week to make sure we are not inadvertently spreading the virus around our community. I regularly have to work outside of the home so I make sure that I get a test twice a week. I want to ensure that anyone working, volunteering or caring can do the same.
I want to encourage everyone to make sure they get a rapid test at least once a week. There are four free and accessible rapid test sites in Hackney, families with school age children can also pick up boxes of rapid tests to use at home. I collected two boxes of tests for my family this week and it is a ‘grab and go’ process. We also want all local employers to signpost staff to these centres and ensure their workers can access them within the working day.
As well as rapid tests for those without symptoms, if you do have symptoms of coronavirus such as a cough or high temperature make sure to isolate straight away for 10 days and book a test by calling 119 or going to nhs.uk/coronavirus.
For more information including how to use a home test kit and where to submit your results visit: hackney.gov.uk/coronavirus-support/#rapid