Darryl Chamberlain

Lewisham Covid-19 test centre joins growing list of SE London facilities

Mask sign
Hairdressers, like this one in Blackheath, have been allowed to reopen in London

A new walk-in Covid-19 test centre has opened in Lewisham town centre, Lewisham Council announced at the weekend, increasing the number of testing facilities in south-east London.

The new centre is in a car park on Molesworth Street, behind the Lewisham Centre, and is open from 8am to 8pm every day.

However, tests are only available by booking on www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.

There are now three testing centres in Lewisham borough, five in Greenwich and three in Bexley as boroughs work with the government’s test and trace service to ramp up their attempts help to keep the pandemic in check. Three of the centres – in Charlton, Catford and Sidcup – only operate on certain days of the week.

Greenwich
Devonport House car park, King William Walk, Greenwich (walk-in only)
Abery Street car park, Plumstead (walk-in only)
University of Greenwich, Avery Hill Road, Eltham (walk-in only)
The Valley, Charlton (mobile facility accessible by car)
O2 car park, Edmund Halley Way, Greenwich Peninsula (drive-through only)

Lewisham
Molesworth Street car park, Lewisham (walk-in only)
Vanguard Street car park, Deptford (walk-in only)
Lorry park at Laurence House, Catford (mobile facility accessible by car)

Bexley
Felixstowe Road car park, Abbey Wood (walk-in only)
221 Erith Road, Bexleyheath (walk-in only)
Sidcup House, Station Road, Sidcup (drive-through only)

Tests are not available at doctors’ surgeries or hospital emergency departments, only through www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.

London is in Tier 2 following the end of the November lockdown, which has allowed shops to reopen, although that status will be reviewed by 16 December.

Sunday’s figures from Public Health England indicate the number of people testing positive in all three boroughs is growing after the lockdown ended. Greenwich had 554 positive tests in the previous seven days, up 31 per cent on the previous week; Lewisham had 393, up 28 per cent; Bexley had 652, up 23 per cent.

All three boroughs have launched “community champion” schemes for people who would like to help their public health teams support local people by sharing trustworthy information about the pandemic and what assistance is available. To find out more, visit the Greenwich, Lewisham or Bexley council websites.

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