FIVE new coronavirus testing sites will be set up in Southend this month, with three more set to be announced imminently.

A new drop off and collect testing site in Shoebury will join four lateral flow sites across the town in January, Southend Council confirmed.

The four sites will be located in central Southend, east central Southend, Leigh, and Shoebury.

These will be for residents without symptoms.

Each site will look to accommodate 500 tests each day.

The first site opened in central Southend, on University Square on Monday and is open from 7am to 3pm, seven days a week. 

This is an appointment based site.

The confirmation of the three other sites is set to be announced imminently.
Southend Council says three more testing sites will be coming soon, which will be of similar ilk to those on Short Street and at Southend Airport.

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Trevor Harp, councillor in charge of health and adult social care, said: “Increasing our testing capacity will play a vital role as we continue to take measures to reduce the spread of the virus.

"Our hospitals and health services, both locally and regionally, are becoming overwhelmed with Covid patients, and we must all do our bit to protect these essential services, as well as our friends, families and communities.

“This next phase of testing, the lateral flow sites, enable people to get results within one hour, which are extremely useful for people who are not showing any symptoms.

"People who do not feel unwell and are asymptomatic, can unwillingly spread the virus to others, so this rapid testing will help identify those people and help reduce the spread of the virus.

“I would ask residents to get tested through the variety of options we now have available through the drop-in site, lateral flow sites coming on stream or the local testing sites.

"Full details are available on our website, which is being updated regularly.

“Following the major incident declared by the Essex Resilience Forum last week and the national lockdown announced by the Prime Minister, we must all stay at home, do not mix indoors with people outside your household or support bubble, and remember hands, face, space.”