Stay at least 2 metres apart – or 1 metre with a face covering or other precautions.
Fresh air
Meet in the fresh air and improve ventilation indoors
Shielding FAQs
Around 9,000 Hackney residents were added to the national shielding list in February 2021 based on an enhanced model of assessing risk which looks at health, weight, ethnicity and other factors.
This model, which has been adopted by the NHS, is based on newly available data which better recognises who is at a higher risk of becoming very ill from coronavirus.
The NHS Test and Trace service aims to ensure that people who develop coronavirus are tested and that the spread of the disease is reduced.
People who have had close contact with someone who has a positive coronavirus test result will be identified and asked to self-isolate to protect others within the community.
When there are cases linked by time and place, NHS Test and Trace will notify Public Health England London Coronavirus Response Cell (PHE LCRC) through their escalation processes to deal with complex cases or outbreaks.
PHE LCRC will work with the City and Hackney Public Health Team when there are local outbreaks, or other high risk situations.
Download the NHS COVID-19 app today
The free NHS COVID-19 app is a vital part of the NHS Test and Trace service.
Get tested if you don’t have symptoms – book a rapid test
From Friday 9 April everyone in the UK is being encouraged to get tested for Covid-19 twice a week.
As national restrictions ease, rapid testing is a critical way to reduce the spread and keep us on track with the roadmap out of lockdown.
Rapid Covid-19 tests are free and provide results within 30 minutes.
You must arrive at the test site wearing a face covering, unless you’re exempt or have a reasonable excuse (according to the latest government guidelines). If you’re exempt, you should be permitted to enter the test site and perform the test.
Book a rapid Covid-19 test
Appointments must be booked in advance.
1 in 3 people with Covid-19 do not show symptoms, regular testing is vital to reducing the spread of the virus and keeping everyone safe.
Regular testing alongside the vaccination roll out, and continuing to practice ‘hands, face, space’ will reduce the spread of coronavirus and keep us on track with the roadmap out of lockdown.
If you’re included in the following groups listed below you should be testing twice a week:
school, college and nursery age children and young people
families in a household with nursery aged children and/or young people at school or college
childcare or support bubbles
staff, tradespeople or volunteers working in educational settings
children of primary school age (or younger) who don’t have symptoms are not being asked to take a test
The tests are fast, completely free and are for people who do not have symptoms. There are two different ways you can access tests to take at home, twice weekly:
If you have any questions about the home tests kits you have ordered online, including how to use them and where to submit your results please watch this how to guide on home test kits.
You can also call the Here to Help Helpline if you have any questions.
Community Collect
Community Collect provides boxes of home rapid tests and can be collected from all of Hackney’s rapid test sites.
Staff at these sites can answer questions about how to use these tests, register your kit and record your result.
We recommend that you collect home rapid test kits from rapid test sites:
The household isolation rules do not apply to anyone who needs to leave home to escape harm and seek help.
If someone is hurting you at home, you don’t have to suffer in silence. See what help is available.
Call 999 in emergencies. If it’s unsafe for you to speak aloud, dial 999 and press 55 when prompted to make a silent phone call to the police.
Housing tenants support
We’ve put together information and advice on the types of available housing support, including financial support, maintenance support and what to do if you have a pre-paid meter and can’t leave your home.
If you’re concerned about the condition of your home or treatment from your landlord, let us know.
Employment support
If your income or job has been affected, you can seek support through our Hackney Works employment service. Our specialist team can help you to find work or training, as well as offer advice on interviews and CV writing.
You can contact the team on hackneyworks@hackney.gov.uk or 020 8356 5700, or see the latest roles – including new temporary roles being created during the pandemic
We’ve created an easy to use find support service map that displays voluntary and community organisations offering help to Hackney’s diverse community, especially to those who are affected.
Support for clinically extremely vulnerable residents
This information is for residents who have been identified as clinically extremely vulnerable. If you are in this group, you will previously have received a letter from the NHS or from your GP telling you this. You may have been advised to shield in the past.
We recognise it may be a confusing or unsettling time. If you would like to speak to someone about what support is available now, or for help planning for the coming months, call us on 020 8356 3111.