Four coronavirus test centres in Westminster this week

By Owen Sheppard, Local Democracy Reporter

There will be four Covid-19 testing centres operating across the borough of Westminster this week.

Greenside Community Centre, in Lilestone Street, Marylebone, was turned into a semi-permanent testing centre and opened on Friday.

Another semi-permanent testing site will open tomorrow at Lydford Tenants and Residents Hall in Fernhead Road, West Kilburn.

On Friday a third semi-permanent testing centre opens at the Grosvenor Hall in Vincent Street, Pimlico.

The three new centres will operate as walk-through centres, and are open from 8am until 8pm, seven-days-a-week.

They are in addition to the mobile testing site that has been operating in Hyde Park.

The North Carriage Drive centre will be open between 10.30am and 3.30pm tomorrow and on Friday – and on October 21, 22, 27 and 28.

A fifth mobile test centre was operating in Paddington Recreation Ground between October 8 and 10.

A Westminster Council spokesman said the Paddington Rec test centre is “likely to be used again in future”, but no dates have been confirmed.

All centres are available to people of all ages, but only people who are displaying symptoms should book a test.

Appointments at all test centres must be booked in advance. Book an appointment by going on the NHS website or by calling 119.

Westminster’s infection rate for the seven days before October 9 was 74.6 cases per 100,000 people, after 195 new cases were confirmed in those seven days.

The worst-hit of London’s 32 boroughs is currently Ealing, which, during those seven days, had an infection rate of 118.8 cases per 100,000 people.

Bexley has the lowest infection rate, at 51.6 per 100,000.