Third Redbridge Covid test centre opens this week

As revealed in a council meeting on October 1, the new centre is at Charteris Car Park and will open to the public on Friday (October 23).

For the first two days, the site will be open at reduced hours from 10am to 5pm, before opening from 8am to 8pm every day of the week.

The borough’s two other test centres are located at Mildmay Road Car Park and Gants Hill Library Car Park.

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Council leader Cllr Jas Athwal said: "Last month, we announced that we had a second testing centre in the borough but I was adamant that we needed more.

“Redbridge has the highest Covid-19 infection rates in London and we need to ensure our residents can get tested to help stop the spread.

“We want every resident in the borough to be able to access a testing centre nearby, so I am pleased that we have made this happen.

“However, we can’t ignore the fact that despite doing everything we can to secure additional testing for the borough, we are in desperate need of more lab testing capacity to process test results quickly, and this is something we will continue to raise with the Government as a priority.”

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He reminded residents to wash their hands or use hand sanitiser regularly, wear a mask in enclosed spaces and practice social distancing.

New Covid rules means Londoners cannot meet in groups of more than six and separate households not in a bubble are forbidden from mixing indoors.

On October 1, Cllr Suzanne Nolan (Con, South Woodford) commended the decision to open a new test centre for the west of the borough, adding she sometimes feels it is “neglected”.

Information on all testing facilities in Redbridge can be found here.

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