Newham Council is supporting a London-wide campaign that is seeking to address low awareness of COVID-19 testing and contact tracing.
The Keep London Safe initiative, supported by Public Health England, the NHS, and Greater London Authority (GLA), has been launched across the 32 London boroughs and the City of London Corporation, after research showed almost half of Londoners who were asked, didn’t know how to get a coronavirus test.
Councillor Zulfiqar Ali, Cabinet member for health, adult social care and education, said: “We’re all working hard to keep Newham safe from coronavirus. We don’t want a second wave in borough. Enough lives have been lost already.
“If you have any of the symptoms of Covid-19, it’s important that you stay at home and get yourself tested as soon as possible. Symptoms include a high temperature, a continuous cough, or if you lose your sense of taste or smell.
“You can get advice by using the NHS 119 telephone number or by visiting the www.nhs/coronavirus website. Keep on social distancing and wash your hands regularly. And if you are out and about, please wear a face covering if you are in shops or on public transport. If an NHS Test and Trace team contacts you, follow their instructions. Let’s all work together to keep Newham and the rest of London safe.”
Newham’s team of volunteer Covid-19 Health Champions are helping to keep residents up to date with the latest advice about the virus, so that people can help family, friends and other community members, make sense of the latest facts about the virus. You can become a Health Champion if you are the person in your community that everyone knows and trusts, or you might be someone who wants to help in whatever way you can. Visit www.newham.gov.uk/covidhealthchampions for details.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Thanks to the monumental efforts of Londoners we have significantly reduced the number of COVID-19 cases in the Capital, but we must continue to do everything we can to stop the further spread of the virus and avoid a deadly second wave.”
A poll carried out by YouGov for the GLA in June found that 46 per cent of Londoners don’t know how to get a test and 35 per cent know little or nothing about NHS Test and Trace. Londoners from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, and those over 65, were the least likely to know how to get a test.
Professor Kevin Fenton, London Regional Director for Public Health England, said: “We call on all Londoners to keep playing their part. Keep your local community, your borough and London, a safe and healthy place to live.”
If NHS test and trace gets in touch to say you have been in contact with someone with Covid-19, you must follow their instructions and stay at home for 14 days.