Short Street Coronavirus testing site

September 14, 2020

The leader of the council has issued the following statement in relation to the Coronavirus walk-through testing site at Short Street, Southend-on-Sea.

Cllr Ian Gilbert, leader of the council, says: “We know that local people are having problems with the availability of appointments via the national booking site. We have raised these concerns at a national level.

“I was also concerned to see images of large queues outside the testing centre. It is clear from these images that people are turning up to be tested without an appointment, and this is another issue that we have raised urgently with the Department for Health and Social Care who run the local walk-through testing site.

“I urge people to only attend the Short Street site if they have a booked appointment, and to please only book a test if you have Coronavirus symptoms. Booking or turning up for a test without symptoms will take testing capacity from those people with symptoms who really need it.”

The testing site was opened by the Department for Health and Social Care in August 2020.

Further updates will be issued as appropriate.