From 11 January, asymptomatic people who test positive on a lateral flow test (LFT) will no longer need to confirm this result by taking an additional PCR test.
If you receive a positive lateral flow test you are advised to report the result on the Gov.uk website.
www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result
And remember you’ll need to self-isolate for 10 days (unless you have no symptoms and test negative on your day 6 and 7 LFTs).
Last year’s Citizens’ Awards were cancelled due to the Covid 19 pandemic, but we are hoping once again to be able to host our annual Citizens’ Awards to honour the unsung heroes who significantly support our community.
There are many people whose care and support work goes unrecognised, and we want to make sure they get the recognition they deserve for supporting our community.
If you know someone, young or old, who you feel is deserving of recognition, we want you to let us know.
Perhaps you know someone involved in caring for children, the elderly, sick or disabled; or someone who went above and beyond in supporting others during the Covid 19 pandemic, when the people of Woodley particularly pulled together to support each other.
Nominations are open until Friday 21st January 2022 and a ceremony will take place on Friday 1st April (subject to Covid 19 regulations).
Further information on who can be nominated and how, including the relevant forms to download, can be found on our website or forms can be collected from our offices at the Oakwood Centre.
Please contact Matthew Filmore for more information: Matthew.filmore@woodley.gov.uk.
People who receive negative LFD results on day 6 and day 7 of their self-isolation period – with tests taken 24 hours apart – will no longer have to self-isolate for the full 10 days. The first test must be taken no earlier than day 6 of the self-isolation period.
Those who leave self-isolation on or after day 7 are strongly advised to limit close contact with other people in crowded or poorly ventilated spaces, work from home and minimise contact with anyone who is at higher risk of severe illness if infected with COVID- 19.
There is no change to the guidance for unvaccinated contacts of positive COVID-19 cases, who are still required to self-isolate for 10 full days after their date of exposure to the virus.
During the festive break Wokingham Borough Council’s main Shute End offices will be closed on bank holidays and operating reduced hours on some other days:
If you need Wokingham Borough Council outside these times, please use these emergency out of hours numbers for certain matters.
All Wokingham Borough Libraries will be closed on 25 December to 28th December and 1 January to 3 January 2022.
On Friday 24 December and Friday 31 December, there will be early closure of 1pm at Twyford Library and early closure of 3pm at Wokingham, Lower Earley, Winnersh and Woodley Libraries. Wargrave Library will be closed on both dates.
Finchampstead Library will be closed from 1pm on 24 December to 3 January inclusive.
Read the Council’s find a library webpage for more details on when your nearest one is open.
Bus routes in Wokingham town could be extended to serve new housing under a proposal that is part of a review of bus routes across Wokingham borough.
Wokingham Borough Council subsidises most of the services it is reviewing. The Council is now seeking resident’s views on the proposed new bus routes, along with changes to some existing services, because existing contracts end in May so new ones must be drawn up soon.
The survey, launched last week, reviews the existing bus service across the borough to look at what is currently working for residents and what might need changing. The Council is already proposing several changes to better serve residents.
The council suggests extending a circular section of Thames Valley Buses’ 121 route, which covers the Norreys estate off London Road, to serve new homes off Diamond Jubilee Way and Oak Drive.
A new route, bus 126 is proposed that could be funded by companies building new homes in the council’s North Wokingham major development. The new route 126 would form a loop serving the Norreys estate via Binfield Road. This would return to the town centre via Toutley Road, Matthewgreen Road, Milton Road, Holt Lane and Reading Road, stopping at both The Emmbrook School and The Holt School on the way.
The existing 122/123 routes from the town centre to Woosehill, extending to Emmbrook in the off-peak, would be unchanged, as would the 128/129 route from Reading to Wokingham town via Twyford. However, the latter’s Saturday service between Twyford and Maidenhead could be reviewed.
Minor changes are proposed to the 125/A/B routes to ensure consistency while the 124, an off-peak service covering London Road and Easthampstead Road, could be withdrawn as it has only one or two passengers daily and might be better served by voluntary groups.
Reading Buses’ Leopard services 3, 8 and 9 from Reading to Shinfield, Arborfield, Finchampstead and Wokingham would be mostly unchanged, although it might be possible to run buses between Arborfield and Wokingham twice per hour instead of hourly.
Again, this could be funded by housebuilders working in the council’s major development at the former Arborfield Garrison. Routes 8 & 9 may also be changed with funding available from the Shinfield and Spencers Wood developments.
The consultation is open until 16 January and residents can respond via the Engage Wokingham Borough platform. For anyone needing help with the survey, please contact Wokingham Borough Council by calling 0118 974 6000 or emailing myjourney@wokingham.gov.uk.
All residents across Wokingham Borough can now access free, regular, rapid Covid-19 tests. These are for people with no Covid-19 symptoms.
This is important for identifying cases of Covid-19 that we would otherwise not find, as 1 in 3 people who are infected with the virus won’t have any symptoms, meaning they’ll spread it to others without realising.
Getting into the habit of regular testing will help to keep everyone safe.
Please book a test through the Gov.uk website if you have symptoms of Covid-19.
The rapid Covid-19 test used for people with no symptoms is called a Lateral Flow Test. It delivers results within 30 to 45 minutes. Read Wokingham Borough Council’s Lateral Flow Testing Frequently Asked Questions (PDF document) to find out more.
Getting a negative Lateral Flow Test result does not give you immunity to Covid-19.
Walk-in appointments are available the week commencing 13 December, at the following sites:
Shute End Test Centre (Civic Offices, Shute End, RG40 1BN):
Mobile testing units:
Please note, the above sites are closed on Bank Holidays. Mobile sites can only operate if the temperature is above 10 degrees, and locations can change at short notice.
You can also access home testing kits by ordering them through the Gov.uk website, collecting them from a local pharmacy, or collecting them from one of the static or mobile test centres.
© Woodley Town Council 2024
