Doorstep Covid tests for NINE THOUSAND people on Corby's Beanfield estate this weekend

Targeted door-to door community coronavirus testing will take place this weekend with volunteers visiting 3,300 households on the Beanfield estate in Corby

Each household in Beanfield - a total of 9,000 people will be offered testing kits in a bid to reduce case and transmission rates prior to further easing of restrictions.

The pilot also provides the council with an opportunity to test its surge capacity plans - a key part of the public health response to spikes in cases, or variants of concern, should they arise in the future. Beanfield has been identified for this pilot as it is an area with high rates of cases, yet low rates of testing.

Organised by the Public Health team at North Northamptonshire Council, trained volunteers will be knocking on all household doors between 10am and 4pm on Saturday April 10 and Sunday, April 11 to talk to residents about coronavirus and offer free testing options, regardless of whether they have symptoms or not.

Mike Deacon, for North Northamptonshire Environmental Health, said: "Each house on the Beanfield estate will be offered testing kits with a view to hopefully reduce case and transmission rates prior to the easing of national restrictions.

"The pilot also provides the council with an opportunity to test its surge capacity plans to address to spikes in cases.

"Depending on those conversations households will be offered either a PCR test or a Rapid Lateral Flow Test kit. That will depend if the household has symptoms or not."

The PCR test will be offered people with any of the three main coronavirus symptoms; a high temperature, continuous cough or loss of or change in sense of smell or taste.

He added: "All volunteers will carry ID and wear PPE and high visibility jackets. They will drop test kits off as they call door-to-door to each household and return later to collect the completed PCR test kits.

"The LFT kits will not need collection as test processing happens within the home. Each of the kits will have information on how to carry out the test.

"It really is a voluntary excercise If a household does refuse to take part the volunteers will just move to the next property, noting that household has refused to tak part

"We will also be leaving calling cards at households where we don't recieve an answer so that those households do have the opportunity to access the test kits if they need to.

Dr Joanne Watt Corby GP said: "This is an opportunity to make sure that you are dsafe, to allow your children to get back to school and when you are mixing with people socially diostance that you are not putting those peopke at any additional risk

"I think Corby people will step up to this We do care about our community. We do care about getting back to normal . There's a huge amount of pride in the town and it's about taking advantage of all the testing opportunities that we have