NewsBite

UPDATED: Reopened Marrara Covid-19 testing clinic a ghost-town, 8500 more Pfizer jabs

The Marrara Covid-19 drive-through testing clinic has reopened amid Darwin’s second lockdown in two months, but crowds have stayed away.

Darwin, Katherine enter snap three day lockdown

UPDATED: The Marrara mass testing facility has reopened to little fanfare, with virtually no vehicles spotted on Tuesday morning.

The Northern Territory will also receive an extra 8500 Pfizer doses from the Commonwealth, allocated from the one million doses received from Poland over the weekend.

The drive-through testing clinic reopened at 8am following the announcement the day before that Darwin and Katherine would enter a snap 72-hour lockdown.

At a press conference in front of the testing facility on Tuesday morning, Health Minister Natasha Fyles said people deemd contacts of the infected man or anyone with Covid-19 symptoms could get tested at Marrara without an appointment.

“We have around 300 contacts - that’s close and casual contacts,” Ms Fyles said.

“We have got a new system here operating at Marrara, where we don’t require bookings, but we only require people to get tested if they are symptomatic or have been identified as a contact.”

Ms Fyles urged so-called “worried well” people not to get tested.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles said roughly 300 contacts had been identified. Picture: Thomas Morgan
Health Minister Natasha Fyles said roughly 300 contacts had been identified. Picture: Thomas Morgan

The NT News saw only one or two vehicles enter to get tested between 8.15 and 8.45am Tuesday.

Ms Fyles said no new cases of Covid-19 had been detected overnight but said the Chief Minister would update the situation later on Tuesday following a meeting of health officials.

EARLIER: THE Marrara Covid-19 drive-through testing clinic will be operational from 8am on Tuesday.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles said bookings would not be necessary at the Marrara testing facility but there might be a wait during peak times.

“It is really important that only those displaying symptoms or who have been to one of the exposure sites at the specific dates and times listed get tested,” Ms Fyles said.

“If you have no symptoms and have not been to an exposure site at the specific dates and times listed, you do not need to get tested.”

MORE TOP NEWS

Katherine resort to lose ‘tens of thousands’ after positive Covid case checks in

Updated: Greater Darwin and Katherine sent into 3-day lockdown

Major events abandoned: tens of thousands in revenue lost

Any close or casual contacts need to call the Covid-19 hotline and identify themselves and receive instructions, prior to entering the Marrara testing site.

If you believe you are a close or casual contact after attending an exposure site, isolate and then contact the 24-hour, Covid-19 Hotline on 1800 490 484. “Please be patient, we will arrange your Covid-19 test as a matter of priority,” Ms Fyles said.

Add your comment to this story

To join the conversation, please Don't have an account? Register

Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout

Original URL: https://www.ntnews.com.au/news/northern-territory/marrara-covid19-testing-clinic-opens-from-8am/news-story/eb213ead11239bc13b2602c752fa4d15