**The event is now oversubscribed and we are unable to accept any further new registrations. You can watch it live on YouTube Live Stream at 7.30pm.**

A public online Zoom meeting for residents or workers in parts of Hanwell and West Ealing targeted for additional testing for the South African variant of COVID-19 will take place on Wednesday, 3 February, 7.30pm to 8.30pm and is open to all to attend.

At the meeting, the Ealing Council will give you the latest public health updates on the at-home and local testing facilities for the South African COVID-19 variant. You will have a chance to pose your questions and concerns to a panel.

Council leader Julian Bell said: “I want to reassure local residents that there is currently no evidence that the South African variant is either more dangerous or more transmissible than the UK variant that represents the majority of cases in London currently. There is also no evidence that the vaccines that have been approved for use in the UK won’t provide protection against the South African variant.

“People living in West Ealing and Hanwell should continue to work from home if possible and only leave the house for essential purposes, following the rules of the national lockdown. That is the case for everyone in the borough, wherever you live.

“To help understand the spread of the variant, NHS Test and Trace have asked us to carry out tests of 10,000 residents in the area around the identified case, in parts of the W7 and W13 postcode areas. There is a postcode finder on the council’s website to identify if you are in the selected area.”

Watch Councillor Bell’s statement in full.

The event will be facilitated by Kieran Read, Director Strategy & Engagement, Ealing Council and the speakers and panellists will be:

• Councillor Julian Bell, leader of Ealing Council   
• Councillor Binda Rai, cabinet member for health and adult services – Ealing Council  
• Paul Najsarek, chief executive of Ealing Council
• Anna Bryden, director of Public Health – Ealing Council  
• Dr Deborah Turbitt, deputy director for health protection, London – Public Health England

You can check if you live in the affected area using our postcode checker.

During the session attendees will be able to submit their questions using the Q&A function on Zoom. The chat and audio/speaker function will be disabled for attendees. This is to help manage the flow of the event and volume of questions expected.

Register for this meeting on Zoom. **Event is now oversubscribed**

You can join the meeting using your computer audio or by phone.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

This meeting will also be streamed live on YouTube.