The ACT Government will open three additional coronavirus testing clinics in the Territory, including one at Garran Oval, previously set to be a temporary COVID-19 Emergency Department.
The second clinic will be located at West Belconnen Child and Family Centre, while the third clinic will be a drive-in facility in Canberra’s South, with the exact location announced early next week.
The decision follows the ACT recording five active cases this week, all of which have been linked to virus hotspots in Melbourne.
ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith urged Canberrans to use the testing clinics if they were feeling unwell, especially given the onset of Influenza season and recent events in Victoria.
“Canberrans are hearing the message about getting tested if you have COVID-19 … This is absolutely critical to helping us monitor COVID-19 in the ACT,” she said.
“In response to this surge in demand, we will be opening three new additional COVID-19 testing centres in the next few days.”
The ACT has recorded more than 34,000 negative tests, with almost 1,000 of those coming back in the last 24 hours.
The Garran clinic will be open seven days per week from tomorrow, Saturday 11 July, and will include walk-in services, and drive-through options from 13 July.
The Belconnen site will open Monday to Friday from 13 July but is intended as a temporary location given the other vital services it offers.
Ms Stephen-Smith thanked the Canberra community for their cooperation during this time.
“We know this increase in testing has led to lengthy wait times and we thank everyone for their patience. These additional clinics will help to meet the increase in demand and give Canberrans more options for testing, closer to their homes,” she said.
“We understand that there is a level of increased anxiety in the community with the new positive COVID-19 cases detected in the ACT and we thank people for doing the right thing and getting tested if they have even the mildest of COVID-19 symptoms.”
The three new locations join existing testing clinics in Weston Creek (walk-in) and at EPIC (drive-through), along with other testing facilities in Narrabundah, Greenway and Crace.
More information on the testing clinics can be found online.
