Coffs Harbour Covid testing clinic opens at C.ex Stadium

It was bumper to bumper at C.ex Stadium as NSW Health established a drive-through clinic in the wake of a visitor testing positive to Covid-19.

It was bumper to bumper at C.ex Stadium on Tuesday as NSW Health opened a drive-through Covid-clinic in the wake of a surge in the number of residents seeking tests.

Mid North Coast residents rushing out to get tested for Covid-19 have been met with massive lines since Monday after a person with the virus spent time in the region. 

The surge in demand prompted the Mid North Coast Local Health District to take action and Chief executive Stewart Dowrick said on Monday more than 1200 tests were conducted across the region with 653 of those lining up at the Coffs Harbour clinic.

Lines at clinic on the Pacific Highway were snaking along nearby Argyll St, with residents waiting hours before getting a test.

“Thank you to everyone who has come forward for testing so far, helping to protect themselves and their communities,” Mr Dowrick said.

“I would particularly like to acknowledge and thank the 653 people who attended our Coffs Harbour clinic for testing (on Monday). Our staff did a fantastic job ensuring everyone was tested and although at times there was a long wait, we greatly appreciate the effort our community has made.”

“(Tuesday’s) opening of the drive-through testing clinic at the stadium will enable us to increase our testing capacity and hopefully reduce waiting times.”

There were similar scenes further south in Macksville, with residents reporting huge queues of cars at the drive-through clinic and in the past week more than 3,200 tests have been carried out across the Mid North Coast.

One person said they waited more than two and a half hours and by the time they left, the queue of vehicles had roughly doubled.

The person who tested positive for Covid is believed to have been in Coffs Harbour for a number of days last week and visited several shops in Park Beach Plaza and the Hoey Moey bottle shop.

Despite Coffs Harbour MP Gurmesh Singh publishing a list of potential exposure sites on Monday morning, NSW Health has confirmed only the Hoey Moey as a “venue of concern”.

Anyone who was at the venue between 3.55pm and 4.10pm on Thursday July 15 has been directed to get tested immediately and isolate for two weeks regardless of the result.

Park Beach Plaza was ruled out as a potential exposure site after NSW Health confirmed the person was not thought to be infectious when they visited the venue.

Shopping centres weren’t the only venues to be affected with one of Coffs Harbour’s biggest developments being shut down on Tuesday as a precaution. Workers were tested on site by NSW Health and sent home.