Coronavirus surge testing is being rolled out in the Brentwood area of Essex after a person tested positive for the South African variant in the area.
People within the CM13 postcode will now be encouraged to get a test even if they are not showing any Covid symptoms. Anyone showing signs of coronavirus have been told to book a test in the usual way, while others are being urged to check the local council's website for information.
It comes after the government introduced surge testing in specific areas of the country where the highly infectious South African strain has been found.
A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "Working in partnership with the local authority, additional testing and genomic sequencing is being deployed