Additional Covid testing to take place in these Leeds areas after cases of new variant found

The additional surveillance testing for people without Covid symptoms will be available for those living or working in parts of LS8, including parts of Harehills and the area just north of Easterly Road, as well as some small areas outside of LS8.

The testing, to start on Monday (22), will help the council and government understand the level of new variants in the city, so they are better informed and can plan their response.

It follows two cases of Covid-19 picked up in a household in the area in early January.

After receiving positive tests, the residents isolated, notified test and trace teams and no further cases were identified among contacts.

Both residents have since made a full recovery and there has been no evidence of transmission in the wider community.

Testing by Public Health England found the cases could potentially have been an incident of the South African variant, although this could not be fully determined.