Pop-up testing will continue in Harrow as part of measures to contain the South African variant of Covid-19 found in the borough.

Carole Furlong, director of public health at Harrow Council, told a health and wellbeing board meeting today (Tuesday, March 23) that tests would be carried out in the area around High Street, Wealdstone, over the weekend.

This follows on from surge testing in the wider Wealdstone area, as well as Headstone North, Hatch End and Harrow Weald, after two people in the borough were found to have been carrying the variant.

Ms Furlong explained that these people, who did not contract the virus through travel, had fully isolated and recovered, while the council has carried out around 3,500 emergency tests so far.

It comes as the most recent government data suggests the overall number of Covid-19 cases in the borough continues to “plateau” or slightly fall.

As of yesterday (Monday, March 22), there were 13 positive tests in the borough while the rate per 100,000 residents stood at 52.6.

Across the past seven days there were 115 cases, which was a drop of 29 (20 per cent) when compared with the previous week.

Furthermore, the number of cases among Black, Asian, and Indian communities – some of the groups hit hardest by the pandemic – is lower than the borough average.

However, Ms Furlong pointed out case numbers in Harrow are still the fourth highest in London and among the top third of all local authorities in England, while they have increased among the borough’s Pakistani community.

She added that, while the peak of the second wave has almost certainly passed, “deaths [linked to Covid-19] will continue” for some time.

Harrow Council intends to publish its updated local management outbreak plan, which will coincide with later stages of the national roadmap out of lockdown, in “the coming weeks”.