Croydon Council is launching more testing options for residents in South Norwood and Thornton Heath from tomorrow as part of the extra Covid-19 testing in the area.
Door-to-door delivery of home test kits got underway at the weekend and will continue for the two weeks that extra testing is planned to take place. The door-to-door teams will only cover some areas so the council is making other options available for people to get a test as quickly and as easily as possible.
We are asking everyone living in South Norwood and Thornton Heath over the age of 16 to take a COVID-19 test as soon as possible, even if they are not showing symptoms. This includes people who have been vaccinated for Covid-19.
If you live in the area and do not have symptoms:
- From Tuesday 9 March, Mobile Testing Units (MTUs) will be at the car parks at Granville Gardens, London, SW16 3LL and Samuel Coleridge Taylor Centre, 194 Selhurst Road, SE25 6XX from 9am-3pm, seven days a week. Appointments must be booked in advance through the council webpage – you cannot use the national booking system for these tests.
- Also from tomorrow you can also pick up and drop off a home testing kit from South Norwood Library, Lawrence Road, SE25 5AA or Thornton Heath Library, 190 Brigstock Road, CR7 7JB, from 10am-4pm, Monday –Saturday. You will need to wear a face covering and bring your smart phone if you have one to register your test and proof of address.
- Croydon Council is also going door-to-door, delivering home test kits to some homes in South Norwood and Thornton Heath. The team will:
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- be fully equipped with PPE and Croydon Council high visibility vests
- maintain a safe distance
- assist you as much as possible in administering your test and registering it
- have ID stating they are working on behalf of Croydon Council
They will not:
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- ask you for any personal details
- request payment for any services
- require access to your property
Extra testing is being introduced following the government announcement that Public Health England has found evidence of a case with the variant first identified in Brazil area. At this stage there is no evidence of onwards transmission, but we are introducing extra testing in the area as a further precaution.
By getting tested, you can help to prevent the virus spreading, protecting yourself and your loved ones, while enabling better understanding of this variant. There is currently no evidence to suggest this variant of Covid-19 is more serious than others, or that the vaccine would not protect against it.
If you are clinically extremely vulnerable, you should continue to follow shielding guidance and not leave your home to get a test. If you have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last two weeks you do not need to get tested again now.
South Norwood and Thornton Heath residents who have any of the Covid-19 symptoms should continue to get tested in the usual way by booking at www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.
If you test positive by any method, or have any symptoms, you should self-isolate immediately.
All residents should continue to follow the national lockdown restrictions and the NHS social distancing guidance on hands, face, space to protect themselves and their loved ones from Covid-19.
