Howard Springs drive-through testing clinic reopened due to Queensland traveller influx
THE drive-through COVID-19 testing clinic has been reopened after the coronavirus hotline was inundated with recent Queensland travellers trying to get tested.
Northern Territory
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THE drive-through COVID-19 testing clinic has been reopened after the coronavirus hotline was inundated with recent Queensland travellers trying to get tested.
It comes after the NT News received reports of people spending hours on hold to the NT’s COVID-19 hotline on Friday when they were advised to get a test if they had been in Greater Brisbane since January 2.
According to NT Health, more than 460 COVID-19 tests were undertaken on Friday and 740 on Saturday.
Staff responded to more than 4200 calls on Friday, 2960 calls on Saturday and 554 as at noon on Sunday.
No positive cases have been recorded in the community.
Greater Brisbane was declared a COVID-19 hotspot for the purpose of travel to the NT on Friday after a cleaner at a quarantine hotel in Brisbane tested positive to the mutant strain and was in the community for five days.
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“We have a large surge team of clinicians and support staff that are available to assist when required to answer calls to the COVID-19 hotline and work in our COVID-19 testing clinics. Our hours of operation can also be scaled up as required to meet demand,” an NT Health spokeswoman said.
“Over the last three days, we have expanded our operating hours and our frontline staff have been working tirelessly to answer calls to the COVID-19 hotline and to undertake COVID-testing at our dedicated clinics.”
The drive-through testing clinic at Howard Springs was last used in mid-September but was closed “as the demand for testing had significantly reduced”.
“Health staff were required at the Howard Springs quarantine facility, where there were a high number of residents undertaking mandatory quarantine,” the spokeswoman said.
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Meanwhile, the Greater Brisbane area will go into its third day of hard lockdown on Monday after the state recorded two days in a row of no new COVID-19 cases.
Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young on Sunday said officials would wait for Monday’s numbers before determining whether or not it was safe to end the lockdown.
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