Testing ramped up after 'extreme rise' in Covid cases in coastal areas
Great Yarmouth Borough Council leader Carl Smith - Credit: Archant
An "extreme rise" in Covid in two parts of the Great Yarmouth area has seen a call for all adults to test themselves for the virus.
Following surges in other parts of the borough reported earlier this week, health bosses are now urging people in Gorleston and Bradwell to get themselves tested in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.
Public health bosses are calling on everybody over the age of 16 living in Gorleston and Bradwell to take a Covid test so cases can be identified quicker and the spread slowed.
Latest figures for the area show 1,169 cases per 100,000 people in the Gorleston area.
Pick-up points for tests have been set up in the car parks of Mill Lane playing field in Bradwell and on Marine Parade in Gorleston. A mobile unit will also be placed on Edinburgh Avenue in Gorleston and open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.
People are urged to drop into either site between 10am and 4pm on Saturday and Sunday then test themselves at home - or collect tests from local libraries or pharmacies.
Additional walk-in testing sites have also been set up at the Conservative Club in Gorleston (open 8am to 4pm Monday to Friday) and Morrisons in Bradwell (open 8am to 4pm Tuesday to Saturday).
A local lockdown would be a “last resort” to combat a fresh rise in cases of coronavirus in Norfolk, a public health director has said. Photo: Norfolk County Council - Credit: Archant
Diane Steiner, Norfolk's deputy director of public health, said: "Following the successful uptake of enhanced testing in Hemsby, Ormesby, Somerton and Winterton this week, we are encouraging enhanced testing in Gorleston and Bradwell.
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"We're hoping to identify cases we might not otherwise find to help reduce the spread of the virus. We know one in three people who have Covid-19 don't have symptoms, so may not know they have the virus and could pass it on.
"I would urge everyone who is eligible to take the test offered."
Great Yarmouth Borough Council leader Carl Smith said: "We have seen an extreme rise in cases in the Gorleston and Bradwell area and therefore the additional pop up test collection points are arranged to help prevent the spread of infection and lower the case numbers.
"We urge anyone aged 16 and above to get tested to ensure they are not asymptomatic and unknowingly spreading the virus.
