The Mitchell COVID-19 testing clinic was at capacity before opening for a second day in a row.
This comes after high testing demand at clinics caused long lines for most of the week. As Christmas Day approaches the Omicron variant and interstate travel requirements continue to impact residents.
The ACT has broken records for the third day in a row with 102 cases announced on Friday.
Wait times as of 5.14pm, Friday:
- Nicholls testing clinic (open 8am to 3.50pm): closed for the day
- Kambah drive through testing clinic (open 8am to 4pm): closed for the day
- Mitchell drive through testing clinic (open 8am to 10pm): 1 hour 45 mins +
- Garran testing clinic (open 7.30am to 9pm): 2 hours 30 mins +
The rush comes as some testing sites will be closed for Christmas Day.
The Mitchell and Garran testing sites will remain open on December 25 during normal hours.
Kambah will be open for a shortened period from 8am to 12pm, while the Nicholls and Narrabundah sites will close for the day.
On Thursday lines of cars queued at the Mitchell testing centre stretched over a kilometre at times with ACT Policing directing traffic.
A Canberra Health Services spokesperson said the directorate was working closely with Transport Canberra and City Services to manage traffic in and around testing sites.
"Additional traffic management staff have been deployed to the areas around the Mitchell COVID-19 drive-through and Garran Surge Centre sites to ensure that COVID-19 testing traffic does not have adverse impacts on the road network," they said.
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"The Temporary Traffic Management Plan and messaging directs traffic to the Mitchell COVID-19 drive-through site via Wells Station Road, onto Hoskins Street.
"Variable message signage displayed in and around testing sites is also being regularly updated to reflect the status of testing sites. We continue to experience high demand for testing.
"When testing sites are experiencing high demand, we ask that people do not queue on the roads and come back later."
Wondering what else will be open during the holiday period?
Here's what is (and isn't) open up until early January in Canberra's restaurant/cafe/winery world.
And here's our list of shops, chemists and other services open over the holiday season.
