You can still catch and spread COVID-19 without symptoms, even after your vaccination. Taking rapid tests twice a week, including before going out to work, going to the shops or meeting with friends and family prevents you passing the virus on to others without knowing.  

All lateral flow rapid tests are free and you get a result in 15 to 30 minutes. Residents without COVID symptoms can have assistance to take a test from our Asymptomatic Testing sites, including 18 Community Pharmacies across Merton, Centre Court Shopping Centre in Wimbledon and the Wilson Hospital. 

If you are confident to take the test yourself, then you can collect up to two boxes of seven rapid tests to use twice a week at home from Merton libraries or participating pharmacies in the borough. However, if you are picking up from a pharmacy, you now need to get a collect code. Before you go to the pharmacy, simply use this service to get a collect code and then show the code when you collect your tests. 

If you have symptoms, and even if you’ve been vaccinated, you must isolate and book a PCR test or call 119. Don’t forget, mild COVID symptoms for you could make others seriously ill.