A new testing centre, a local test and trace team and covid marshals are all being introduced this week to help Teddington tackle the second wave of coronavirus.

Last weekend Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a second lockdown to start on Thursday (November 5), after a concerning rise in cases across the country.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 2,179 cases of the virus in Richmond borough.

A few weeks ago the borough was the worst affected in the capital in terms of case rates, but there were concerns that students living in other areas of the country, with a home or GP address in Richmond, may have been skewing the figures slightly.

Teddington test site

Richmond Council has since announced that a new testing facility will open in the car park of St Mary University's Teddington Lock Sports Campus from Saturday (November 7).

It will be a walk-through testing centre and only accessible to people arriving on foot or bicycle.

It will only be available to people who have booked a test after experiencing coronavirus symptoms – a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, or a loss or change to sense of smell or taste.

The new site will be open seven days a week, from 8am to 8pm.

Local contact tracing

A new Richmond-based contact tracing system for people who have tested positive for coronavirus also launches this week, on November 4.

On average, the national Test and Trace scheme is only able to contact 80 per cent of local cases in Richmond – and it is hoped a local scheme will help to boost this by stepping in when NHS Test and Trace teams cannot contact new cases within 24 hours.

Specially trained local call handlers from Richmond Council will make further attempts to contact patients, including checking local information to clarify and improve data details.

The local service will operate six days a week, with calls coming from a local Richmond (0208) number.

If the call-handlers are unable to contact the individual by telephone, they will receive SMS messages or a home visit as a last resort.

Leader of the council, cllr Gareth Roberts, said: "Speed is of the essence when dealing with Covid-19, so increasing the performance of contact tracing should mean that more cases are contacted, know to self-isolate and help us keep our case numbers down.

"Importantly, by us having direct contact with residents affected, we can offer support and extra help if they or their families need; including promoting the new self-isolation funding that is available for lower paid, working residents on benefits.

"So, I would encourage people who receive a call to not only pick up, but listen and act on the advice given. If you are contacted and instructed to self-isolate you must do so. Failure to comply would be a breach of the law and you could be fined."

Covid marshals

The council has also announced that it has received £75,000 from the government this week to recruit marshals to support people in town centres to adhere to Covid-19 rules.

They do not have enforcement powers, but will remind people to wear face coverings and social distance.

They will mainly take walks within areas of high footfall such as outside rail and bus stations, and will also visit premises to document findings and highlight concerns to the Regulatory Services Teams Environmental Protection Team.

Cllr Roberts appealed to residents to continue to follow the rules to help reduce the spread of the virus.

"As we have seen, the number of infections has risen in our borough. Therefore, we do need to redouble our efforts to follow the hands-face-space rules," he said.

Across London the police have increased their patrols to ensure people are complying, especially in high risk areas.

The council can use enforcement officers, such as environmental health and licensing officers, to explain and encourage businesses and communities to follow guidelines.

These officers also carry out inspections and can take enforcement action for non-compliance.