To help stop the spread of Covid-19,  you must only leave home for work or for other essential reasons. If you cannot work from home or if you leave your home regularly, you should get tested for Covid-19 as often as you can.

In Waltham Forest, we have 10 test sites at various locations across the borough to make it easy for residents to get tested. You don’t need to make an appointment to visit the sites, and most of the sites are open every day from morning until evening. See below for the opening days and times.

Getting tested is quick, easy, and safe.

If you have symptoms, you will need to go to one of our local test sites which offer a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests. Many people get their result the next day, but it may take up to 3 days because they are processed in a laboratory. It is important that you get a PCR test if you have symptoms.

If you don’t have symptoms, please go to any of our community test sites.

These sites offer a Lateral Flow Test (LFT) which allows people who have no symptoms to know if they have the virus. It’s a rapid test, and you can get a result on the same day.

Test sites for people with symptoms:

Stanley Road car park, Leyton E10 7EQ:

  • Open every day between 7am to 12pm

Linford Road car park, Walthamstow E17 3LS:

  • Open every day 7.30am to 12pm

Church Lane car park, Leytonstone E11 1HG:

Please note: this site is walk-in only.

  • Open every day from 8am to 12pm

Homebase, 2C Fulbourne Rd, Walthamstow, E17 4EE:

Walk-in via Forest Rd

Drive-through via Fulbourne Rd

Open 9am to 3pm, every other day

  • Tuesday 9 March 2021
  • Thursday 11 March 2021
  • Saturday 13 March 2021
  • Monday 15 March 2021
  • Wednesday 17 March 2021
  • Friday 19 March 2021

Test sites for people with no symptoms:

Open every day 10am to 7pm

  • Aldriche Way Community Room, below 118-132 Aldriche Way E4 9LZ
  • Chingford Assembly Hall, Station Road, E4 7EN
  • One Hoe Street, Walthamstow E17 4SD
  • Jubilee Centre, Cathall Rd, Leytonstone, E11 4LA
    Entrance via the car park
  • Leyton Cricket Ground, 2 Crawley Road, Leyton, E10 6RJ
    Entrance is at the corner of Leyton High Road and Crawley Road

Open every day from 8am to 5pm:

  • Methodist Church, 5 New Road, Chingford Mount, E4 9EU

Test kits for families or households with school or college students

From 1 March 2021, if you’re a member of a household, childcare bubble or support bubble of staff or a pupil you can get a twice-weekly test:

  • through your employer if they offer testing to employees
  • at a local community test site
  • by collecting a home test kit from a test site (see below)
  • by ordering a home test kit online

Get a test through your employer 

Your workplace may offer rapid lateral flow testing to you. Contact your employer to find out more.

Take a test at a rapid lateral flow test site 

You can take a rapid lateral flow test at one of our community test sites across the borough. These sites are open every day and you don’t need to make an appointment.

Find your nearest community test site

Collect test kits 

Anyone 18 or over can collect 2 packs of home test kits (each pack contains 7 tests) at one of the collection points below. The sites are open from 1pm to 8pm and you do not need to make an appointment.

  • Stanley Road car park, Leyton E10 7EQ
  • Linford Road car park, Walthamstow E17 3LS
  • Church Lane car park, Leytonstone E11 1HG

Do not visit a collection point outside of the opening hours, as the site is being used to test people with coronavirus symptoms outside these times.

Find your nearest home test kit collection point

Order home test kits online 

If you cannot get tested at your workplace or you are unable to go to a test site or collect test kits, you can order a home test kit online.  Do not order online if you can get a test through other methods. This frees up home delivery for those who need it most.

Order rapid lateral flow home test kits

What twice-weekly testing involves

You will be asked to:

  • take a test twice a week (every 3 or 4 days apart)
  • report every result to NHS Test and Trace on the same day you take the test
  • Report your test result online or by calling 119.

If you test positive or get coronavirus symptoms, you should tell the school and:

  • self-isolate immediately

A negative result means the test did not find signs of coronavirus. But this does not guarantee you do not have coronavirus, so you should keep following all coronavirus advice including:

  • regular handwashing
  • social distancing