Door-to-door testing coming to parts of Loughborough

It comes as Covid case rates in the town stand at nearly six times the county average in certain areas.

Residents in parts of Lemyngton ward will be asked to take a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test if they wish, to help identify further cases in the area and help protect their community.

The door-to-door testing will begin on Thursday (18 June), and is expected to run for over a week. 

Over 700 households will have tests dropped off by public health workers, who will return to collect them later in the day for processing.  

The drive is part of Leicestershire County Council’s latest steps to prevent the spread of coronavirus after a sharp rise in cases over the past week. The Lemyngton area (which includes neighbouring Hastings ward) has a rate of 342.5 per 100,000, compared to the Leicestershire average of 57.9, and the England average of 69.9. 

Mike Sandys, the council’s director of public health, said: “We want to encourage people to take a test if offered one at their door. By doing more tests in a targeted way, we’ll be able to identify cases where people have no symptoms, and slow down the spread of the virus in an area with particularly high numbers. 

"We need to do all we can to help prevent the spread of the virus as we see that concerning pattern of cases going up.” 

Testing staff will carry ID cards and wear Leicestershire County Council branded hi-vis vests. 

Find out more about the County's testing programme here.