People turned away as Covid testing clinics across South East Queensland reach capacity
Thousands queued at Covid testing clinics across South East Queensland from 3am with many turned away or even directed over the NSW border due to capacity limits and clinic closures.
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Some Covid testing clinics across South East Queensland reached capacity early Wednesday morning as hundreds queued from as early as 3am.
Jimboomba man Jayden Wolff said he got to the clinic at Hillcrest just before 4.30am on Wednesday morning and received his PCR test just before 2pm, nine hours after he had initially lined up.
Mr Wolff, who said he was a “close contact with symptoms”, said his work does rapid testing at the gates.
“I went to work this morning at 4am and returned a non-negative result - unfortunately work won’t let us in now without a negative PCR test,” he said.
Mr Wolff said he could see the end of the line at about 10am but at the time, there was still a “few hundred metres to go” and “another hour and a half wait.”
“It’s just outrageous - the state government needs to step up to improve the processes,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Palaszczuk government has pleaded with private testing companies to return to operation with six being confirmed as having responded to the call this morning.
Reduced testing capacity had plagued the state over the entire Christmas break when nearly all closed for a number of days while Health Minister Yvette D’Ath revealed frustration at private operators who advised the government late that 17 sites would not open on Tuesday.
The Ashgrove Baptist Church Clinic opened an hour early at 6am due to hundreds of vehicles waiting from 3am.
Similar scenes are unfolding at the Indooroopilly and Edens Landing testing clinics.
The testing clinic at Long West reached capacity at 5.55am and started turning away people.
Several people have expressed their frustrations on Facebook.
“It’s 3.59am at Ashgrove drive-through testing and there’s already five cars in front of me,” Chris Searles said.
“Arrived at 4.30am at Ashgrove and already 29 cars in front of me and 4.47am so many cars behind me, I can’t see where the line ends,” Sarina Campbell added.
Lachan Wardle said at 5.15am, cars were “wrapping around the entire block” outside the Ashgrove testing clinic.
“Queensland is in shambles,” he said.
“Everyday people are waking up even earlier to beat the next person.
“I’ve been here five minutes and there’s at least another 30 cars behind me. When will this stop?”
Large queues have also formed at Tweed Heads Covid-testing sites after Queensland Health directed Gold Coasters over the border because of large-scale clinic closures on the Glitter Strip.
Upset Tweed locals have taken to Facebook to vent their frustration and post photos of long lines of traffic around the QML clinic at the Tweed Bowls Club.
It follows the closure of nine of the Gold Coast’s 18 Covid-testing clinics due to staff shortages after they were exposed to the virus and ordered into isolation.
They include the busy Currumbin Waters drive-through clinic which has closed until Sunday.
On its website, Queensland Health has listed clinics at Tweed Heads and South Tweed as among four sites for southern Gold Coast residents to get tested. The others are at Burleigh and Robina.
Residents waiting to get tested at the Tweed clinic have complained of three hours delays.
“Makes me laugh the number of Queensland (number) plates in the line, when only months ago NSW was locked out of the Sunshine State,” one local posted on the Tweed Heads Community News Facebook page.
Olivia Jackson Battye got turned away from the QML Murarrie testing clinic about 7am.
“Just got turned away from QML Murarrie after queuing for one and a half hours and just got to QML Cleveland only to find out that they’re not taking any more cars. Not sure where to go and can’t find any RATs anyway…,” she said
“Regarding QML Murarrie, can someone please help me understand why there aren’t traffic control/police turning people away on Lytton and Creek Road so we’re not finding out once we’ve queued for hours?
“Which doesn’t help reduce the congestion on the roads anyway …”
Vanessa Testa was also turned away from the Murarrie testing clinic about 6am and told to “come back in three hours.”
“We were turned away with a lot of other people but some were allowed through not sure if they work in the Metroplex area,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ellie Scanlan was at the Mt Gravatt showgrounds clinic about 5.30am on Wednesday morning.
“We are 650 yards down from the entrance and another 100+ cars behind us … the clinic doesn’t open until 9am either – not sure where they will be cutting the line,” she said.
Georgie Bulluss said no one at two of the testing clinics she was turned away from even bothered to explain what was happening.
“There wasn’t much communication. We were confused as to why we were being turned around and if it was even open or not,” Ms Bulluss said.
The 22-year-old student from Northgate returned a positive rapid test on Tuesday night after experiencing cold symptoms.
“I had really bad chills last night too,” Ms Bulluss said.
Ms Bulluss and a friend of hers, who was a close contact who also had a positive rapid test, lined up at the Murarrie testing clinic at 5.45 this morning.
She said they were turned away at 7.
“There were hundreds of cars there,” Ms Bulluss said.
“They just signalled us to do a u-turn. Everyone, in front of us and behind us, was being turned away too.”
Ms Bulluss then drove to the Wilston testing clinic, where she lined up for two hours before being turned away yet again.
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