PUPILS at two Basildon schools will be given rapid Covid tests as the borough battles a worrying sustained rise in positive cases.

Essex County Council bosses have written to parents of youngsters at the Bromfords School and Basildon Lower Academy offering tests.

It comes after Basildon’s latest virus rate has been revealed as more than double the county’s average rate, which had led to council leader Gavin Callaghan officially lodging a request for schools across the borough to close next week.

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County hall has stopped short of that but has pledged to work with those schools in borough which have been most affected by Covid-19, to offer testing for young people between now and the end of term.

The move is in a bid to avoid blanket closures and to pick up asymptomic cases.

Pupils who then test positive can be told to self-isolate

Dr Mike Gogarty, Director of Public Health and Wellbeing at Essex County Council, said: “We have always been guided by the data in terms of our Covid-19 response and it is absolutely vital that we take an informed and proportionate response in respect of schools.

“Encouraging parents and carers to book tests for their child if they attend one of the identified schools will help us to act more quickly and reduce the likelihood of cases spreading even further.

“It is also part of wider work being undertaken across all schools in the district to reduce the rate of transmission, including a review of the threshold criteria for year groups and bubbles to self-isolate so that schools can take action on the basis of smaller numbers of cases.”

Earlier this week, in a letter to the county council Mr Callaghan said: “I believe we should be encouraging schools to do the same as universities and end their winter term early.

The coronavirus infection rate in Basildon has risen again and is now more than twice the Essex average at 290.6 cases per 100,000 people as of November 26.

That’s up from 266.6 the week before and more than double the average in the Essex County Council area - which is 138.2.

There are now 271 beds occupied by Covid patients across Essex.