Syon Park Mobile Testing Centre Cancelled For This Weekend


Spike in cases in Brentford and Isleworth area continues to cause concern

A mobile testing centre that was to open for walk in and drive-through appointments in Syon Park this Saturday (19 September) is no longer taking place.

You can still book a home test or visit a regional testing centre at Twickenham Stadium or Heathrow Airport. Find out more on Hounslow Council’s web site.

The original plans to open a facility in Syon Park came as cases continue to rise in the Brentford and Isleworth area.

According to data for the week to 13 September there were seven cases in the Brentford West and Osterley Park area, three cases in Syon Green, six cases in Isleworth and Ivybridge and eight cases in Osterley and Lampton East.

The authorities are increasingly looking to target testing in areas where clusters of infection have appeared.

Concern is rising about the increase in the number of cases in Hounslow borough. On 10 September there were 27 new cases, the highest daily rate of infection since 30 April.

Kelly O'Neill, Director Public Health for Hounslow said in a statement issued on 16 September, “The rise in numbers has coincided with the easing of lockdown restrictions, the start of the school term, of working-aged people returning to their workplaces and people socialising. Similar to the national picture, the majority of our cases are working age adults aged between 20 and 50. As of today, there were 88 people who have had a confirmed positive test in the last seven days, and this number is increasing even though access to testing is proving to be a challenge.

“Our rate is still below the figure where a local lockdown would be considered, but it is one of the highest rates in London. None of us want to see more restrictions in place, we need to be able to carry on our daily routine, keep our children safely in school, and support our shops and local businesses. We can all play our part to help keep Hounslow open for business. Unless you are exempt, please wear a face covering when you’re inside public spaces or out and about and can’t maintain a 2 metre distance, and remember to wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds.

“If you develop symptoms of the virus, please immediately self-isolate and book a test. If you cannot get a test, please be responsible and self-isolate – this is really important. The national testing programme is struggling to manage the high demand for Covid-19 tests. It’s important that if you don’t have symptoms, and have not been advised to take a test that you don’t book one – tests need to be prioritised for people who are symptomatic. I know this is frustrating for everyone.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the majority of residents who have been following the guidance, and shown so much resilience and community spirit throughout this crisis. Let’s continue to work together to keep Hounslow safe.”

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More

This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism.

Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets.

We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more.

However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do.

We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area.

A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site.

One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute.

If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor.

For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.


September 18, 2020