Parents of children at two Basildon schools will be given rapid Covid tests, as the borough battles double rates of other areas.

Essex County Council has written to parents and carers of young people aged 10-19 attending two Basildon Schools in areas with high Covid-19 rates, to ask them to arrange a PCR test for their child – regardless of whether their child is displaying Covid symptoms.

This comes as the latest data for Basildon shows that this age group represents the highest number of cases, at 24.6%. However, this does not mean that infections necessarily originated within the school environment.

READ MORE >> Covid infection rate in Basildon more than twice the Essex average

If parents whose child attends a school in one of those areas proactively books a test now, those young people who test positive but who are asymptomatic can quickly be identified and instructed to self-isolate.

Dr Mike Gogarty, ECC’s Director of Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “We have always been guided by the data in terms of our Covid-19 response and it is absolutely vital that we take an informed and proportionate response in respect of schools.

“Encouraging parents and carers to book tests for their child if they attend one of the identified schools will help us to act more quickly and reduce the likelihood of cases spreading even further.

“It is also part of wider work being undertaken across all schools in the district to reduce the rate of transmission, including a review of the threshold criteria for year groups and bubbles to self-isolate so that schools can take action on the basis of smaller numbers of cases.

“However, for any preventative measures and current guidance to be as effective as it can be, it is vital that everyone continues to adhere to Government Covid-19 guidelines. This includes staying at least 2m away from anyone you do not live with, working from home wherever possible and isolating straight away if you develop symptoms.”