Those who visited Allard’s Lounge in Tynemouth recently are being encouraged to take a COVID-19 test.
Following a recent outbreak at Allard’s Lounge, North Tyneside Council and Public Health England are asking anyone who visited the Front Street bar between 23 April and 3 May to book a PCR test.
One of the cases in an outbreak linked to the premises has been identified as having the Indian variant.
Even if you signed in using the NHS test and trace app, you are still asked to take a PCR test.
North Tyneside Director of Public Health, Wendy Burke said: “Coronavirus levels in the borough and the wider region are the lowest they’ve been since September and we have one of the lowest rates in the country.
“We want to ensure we keep it that way and especially as we move to the next stage of the roadmap, with restrictions set to ease again on 17 May and allow for indoor mixing.
“This additional testing is really important to help to control the virus, reduce transmission and help North Tyneside return to normal.
“We continue to work very with Public Health England to monitor outbreaks, especially as variant cases begin to circulate across the country.
“I would really encourage anyone who visited the bar between 23 April and 3 May to please book a test immediately.
“As with any variant of the virus, it’s important to follow the basic measures of Hands, Face, Space, Fresh Air – wash our hands frequently, wear a face covering, keep our distance from others and get fresh air into enclosed spaces.”
The council has also been working closely with the management of Allard’s Lounge who are ensuring that the bar is COVID-secure and are looking forward to reopening fully.
PCR tests are taken at a test site or at home, with results processed by a lab. There are two local test sites in North Tyneside – at The Parks Sports Centre, North Shields, and Coronation Street car park, Wallsend.
Appointments must be booked in advance and can be done so online here or by calling 119.
This is a precaution and you do not need to self-isolate while you await your result. Although you will have to follow self-isolation advice if you test positive.
If someone does test positive, support is available for those who need to self-isolate – information can be found here.
Viruses, including COVID-19, change over time and can lead to new variants. Monitoring of variants is done by something called genomic sequencing. This is done by the NHS and involves looking at the test samples of positive cases. This sequencing takes time to complete. and the council took immediate action once it was notified.
