Covid testing push in Surrey after South African variant found with no travel links
Residents in Woking, Surrey will be offered coronavirus tests after two people in the community tested positive for the South African variant, with no travel links to South Africa.
Households in the Goldsworth Park and St Johns areas of Woking will be visited and requested to carry out a Covid-19 test – regardless of whether they have symptoms or not, Sky News reported.
The scheme is expected to be extended to Egham within the next few days.
Surrey’s Local Resilience Forum said the “surge testing” programme was to “closely monitor any community spread of the new variant, and restrict further transmission”.
A total 105 cases of the South African variant have been found in the UK.
The South African variant is thought to be more infectious, but it is not yet known if it is more deadly or vaccine-resistant to previous variants found in the UK.
Director of public health for Surrey Ruth Hutchinson told Sky News: “This is a precautionary measure – the more cases of the variant we find, the better chance we have at stopping it from spreading further.
“By playing your part and taking the test, you’ll be helping to keep your community and your loved ones safe.”