Surge testing to be deployed in Reigate and Banstead
NHS Test and Trace – in partnership with the local authority – is deploying additional testing and genomic sequencing in Reigate and Banstead district in Surrey.
Surge testing will commence on 18 June in 2 targeted areas of Reigate and Banstead (including Banstead, Walton-on-the-Hill and Tattenham Corner and Reigate town centre) following the identification of a number of confirmed cases of the Delta variant. All the confirmed cases have been instructed to self-isolate and their contacts have been identified.
Everyone who lives or works in these areas is strongly encouraged to take a COVID-19 PCR test, whether they are showing symptoms or not.
Enhanced contact tracing will be used for individuals testing positive with a variant of concern (VOC). This is where contact tracers look back over an extended period to determine the route of transmission.
By using PCR testing, positive results are sent for genomic sequencing at specialist laboratories, helping us to identify COVID-19 cases with a VOC and then prevent their spread.
If you have symptoms you should book a free test online or by calling 119. You can then go to a testing site or have a kit sent to your home. If you have no symptoms, you should visit your local authority’s website for more information: see info on surge testing in Reigate and Banstead.
People in this area should continue to make use of free twice-weekly rapid tests, commonly known as lateral flow devices, alongside the PCR test as part of surge testing.