A HUGE new Covid-19 test centre - strictly for pupils - is being set up in Southend as part of a drive to get schools open again on March 8.

Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre, at Garon Park off Eastern Avenue could soon be available to students as a school-only testing facility.

The move comes as Southend Council urged whole families to attend community testing sites in the week prior to each child returning to school.

Southend’s director of public health, Krishna Ramkhelawon said: “I must stress this won’t be open for the public, people shouldn’t be turning up there. It would be strictly only for the kids.”

Over the weekend, ministers said whole families with children in school or college will be able to test themselves for coronavirus twice a week from home under plans for schools to safely reopen in England from March 8.

Free tests will be provided to pupils’ households, as well as those in their childcare or support bubbles, regardless of whether anyone has symptoms, the Government said on Sunday.

The rapid tests will be ordered and collected from local sites or administered through workplace testing programmes, the Department of Health and Social Care said.

Secondary and college pupils will be tested with lateral flow tests twice a week, receiving three initial tests at school before they start taking them at home.

Mr Ramkhelawon, has urged whole families to attend community testing sites in the week prior to each child returning to school.

This is to minimise the risk of transmission by anyone who has the virus but is asymptomatic.

He said: “Some of the schools are struggling. So because not all of them are able to set up testing on site, opening Garons could help some of the schools to still be able to access it.”

However, bosses have made it adamantly clear that the centre will not be available to the wider public if the move goes ahead, and have cautioned against residents randomly turning up at the site.

Trevor Harp, councillor for health and adult social care, added: “Thankfully, we feel Southend does have the capacity for whole family testing. And it’s really important this happens.

“But we do have a lack of testing centres towards the east of the town, so we will be considering all sites.

“Garons is an ideal site, there are large halls and open spaces which is great.”

The new site for pupils only would join seven other testing centres in Southend which are all open to the public.

These include Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff; Short Street, Southend; Southend Airport, Elm Road, Leigh: University Square, Southend; St Aidan’s Church in Leigh and Shoebury Youth Centre.

It comes as Conservative MP Rebecca Harris announced there is likely to be a new vaccination centre in Castle Point in the “near future” with details to be revealed soon.

Ms Harris, said: “A number of local councillors and I have been lobbying the NHS for the opening of another larger vaccination centre in Castle Point for some weeks.

“I am pleased to say that it looks like we will be getting a new mass vaccination centre locally in the very near future. I will post again with more details when they can be released.

“In the meantime, I want to send out a massive thank you to all of the NHS staff and volunteers who have been doing a fantastic job at the Paddocks and Benfleet Clinic vaccination centres already.

“You truly are on the front-line and I have heard nothing but glowing reports from very satisfied residents.”

GARON Park is set to be used as an emergency Covid-19 testing centre strictly for school pupils - with whole families advised to be tested before kids return to the classroom.

Testing - at Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre, in Garon Park - could soon be available to students, with the site being considered by Southend Council as a school-only testing facility.

In a bid to support the safe return of children to education, discussions are currently underway - with plans reportedly waiting to be signed off.

On Monday, the government announced that secondary school pupils would be asked to take a voluntary coronavirus test at home twice a week.

When they first start returning to school from March 8, they will be offered three tests at school, to help them get used to the procedure.

But for those schools struggling to provide testing on site, Garons could be used as an alternative place pupils can go to still get tested before heading back to face-to-face learning.

Southend’s director of public health, Krishna Ramkhelawon, has now urged whole families to attend community testing sites in the week prior to each child returning to school.

This is to minimize the risk of transmission by anyone who has the virus but is asymptomatic.

He said: “Some of the schools are struggling.

“So because not all of them are able to set up testing on site, opening Garons could help some of the schools to still be able to access it.”

However, bosses have made it adamantly clear that the centre will not be available to the wider public if the move goes ahead, and have cautioned against residents randomly turning up at the site on Eastern Avenue.

Mr Ramkhelawon, continued: “I must stress this won’t be open for the public, people shouldn’t be turning up there. It would be strictly only for the kids.”

Trevor Harp, councillor for health and adult social care, added: “Thankfully, we feel Southend does have the capacity for whole family testing. And it’s really important this happens.

“But we do have a lack of testing centres towards the east of the town, so we will be considering all sites.

“Garons is an ideal site, there are large halls and open spaces which is great.”

The new site would join seven other testing centres in Southend - however these are all open to the public.

These include Hamlet Court Road, Short Street, Southend Airport, Elm Road, University Square, St Aidan’s Church and Shoebury Youth Centre.

It comes after MP Rebecca Harris announced there’s likely to be a new vaccination centre in Castle Point in the “near future”.

Ms Harris, said: “A number of local councillors and I have been lobbying the NHS for the opening of another larger vaccination centre in Castle Point for some weeks.

“I am pleased to say that it looks like we will be getting a new mass vaccination centre locally in the very near future. I will post again with more details when they can be released.

“In the meantime, I want to send out a massive thank you to all of the NHS staff and volunteers who have been doing a fantastic job at the Paddocks and Benfleet Clinic vaccination centres already.

“You truly are on the front-line and I have heard nothing but glowing reports from very satisfied residents.”