Canberrans waited more than than six hours to be tested for Covid-19 before being turned away late Thursday night, prompting criticism of the territory’s lack of testing capacity.
The ACT is largely relying on three major testing sites for Covid-19, two of which are drive-through only. The three sites are difficult to reach without a car, and the only major walk-in location is in Weston, located in the city’s western suburbs.
There is no walk-in testing centre anywhere near the CBD.
Testing is also being offered at GP respiratory clinics in the far south and far north of the city, but they are not accepting asymptomatic people, even if they have been directed to get tested by the government.
Long queues of cars appeared quickly at the drive-through centres after the ACT announced its five-day lockdown on Thursday.
ACT Health soon warned it was experiencing “long wait times at our Covid-19 testing clinics”.
There are currently long wait times at our COVID-19 testing clinics. We will not be accepting any new arrivals at our Weston Creek or EPIC Testing Clinics tonight. If you are currently in the queue you will get tested. pic.twitter.com/rAZL78i0sK
— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) August 12, 2021
Those already in the queue were assured they would be tested and not turned away. That was not the experience of many, including Canberran Tamara Zacharias, who drove to the testing site at Exhibition Park, in the industrial suburb of Mitchell, after experiencing symptoms.
By the time she arrived at 2.30pm, cars were already backed up out of the testing site and onto one of the city’s main roads. Cars were directed to park in a large field, and they sat, not moving, for hours, without any further communication.
“I probably would have been able to make a judgment call and just left myself, but because they’d posted in their Facebook group ‘we’re turning away people now, those who are there will be seen’, I just thought ‘alright, I’ll stick it out’,” she told the Guardian.
After six hours of waiting, she was told she would not be tested and to go home.
Zacharias says Canberrans just wanted to do the right thing. She still hasn’t been tested.
The queues have returned again across the testing sites and she has little faith she will be seen. Instead, she’s isolating and trying to speak with her GP.
No they have just turned people away who have been in line for over 9 hours. Line didnt move for hours then told to leave
— Kate Antilles (@AntillesKate) August 12, 2021
Another Canberra woman and her partner, who are essential workers and casual contacts of a Covid-19 case, told the Guardian she waited at the Exhibition Park testing clinic from 3.30pm until 7pm, when they were told there was “no chance we were getting tested that day and to come back in the morning”.
“There was no communication from anyone until we were told to go home, people were out of their cars walking around and leaving their cars parked holding up the traffic,” she said.
She said a friend was classified as a close contact of a case and sat in the queue from 2.30pm until 11pm Thursday, and still was not tested.
So after 10hrs of waiting on the queue, & almost 30 cars away from the testing shed, we were sent home. Things aren’t done this way. Would this be an incentive for people to come out tomorrow for testing or would just make me wanna sulk it all up - not sure I’m doing this again
— Otokuefor Eyimofe (@Murphydee) August 12, 2021
The couple returned to the site on Friday morning and had been there for another three hours by the time the Guardian contacted them.
“We have been here since 6.30 and haven’t spoken to a single person, there is no updates or way to contact anyone at EPIC,” she said.
On Twitter, some users were reporting wait times of up to 10 hours. Even then, they were turned away without being tested.
About 2,000 tests were conducted on Thursday, a record for the ACT.
Chief minister Andrew Barr said on Friday that testing capacity would be expanded.
“We understand they have been significant waiting times associated with testing,” he said. “As we work through the exposure sites and parts of the community that are at most risk and have the greatest need to get tested, we will be extending up additional testing capacity.”
He urged only close contacts and symptomatic people to come forward to get tested.
“We understand that there will be many people who are anxious and want to get the peace of mind of a negative test result but the priority right now is to test the close contacts and anyone who has symptoms,” Barr said.
“We will be expanding testing capacity, hours of operations and the number of people at each existing testing centre can manage in a day but yesterday was our all-time record number of tests.”
The government has also opened a new centre near the airport, at the Brindabella Business Park.
Why is there no testing clinic in civic? There were people who live on campus @ourANU who were at exposure sites- only way to get to Woden is by a car (which many don’t have) or public transport. What’s being done? @ABarrMLA
— Will Moisis (@WillMoisis) August 12, 2021
Barr also said the two existing centres – at Weston Creek and Exhibition Park – would be expanded, and that Exhibition Park could become a 24-hour operation.
“We are anticipating demand to increase significantly,” Barr said. “That is why there will be more testing sites, and why the testing hours and capacity will be significantly extended.
“We are asking Canberrans to be patient. There will be a lot of demand, we are asking people to do the right thing by the community at this time.”
