Community turns out in droves for COVID-19 testing

Frontline health workers worked into the night at the Hanging Rock COVID-19 Testing Clinic at Batemans Bay. Photo: Southern NSW Local Health District.

Eurobodalla residents are responding in droves to a health authority directive to undergo COVID-19 testing in the wake of an outbreak in Batemans Bay.

More than 420 cars turned out for COVID-19 testing at the Hanging Rock Pop-up Clinic yesterday after positive cases were linked to the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club last week.

The strong turn-out comes on the back of 506 people being tested in the Eurobodalla on Monday, 20 July – 377 at the Batemans Bay Hanging Rock Pop-up Clinic and 129 at the Moruya Assessment Clinic.

Southern NSW Local Health District is continuing to ask all patrons and staff who were at the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club on Monday 13 July, Wednesday 15 July, Thursday 16 July and Friday 17 July, to immediately be tested for COVID-19 and self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of symptoms.

To ensure people can get tested quickly, SNSWLHD will continue testing in Batemans Bay at the COVID-19 Pop-up clinic at the Hanging Rock Oval Car Park (near the function centre) on Beach Road, Batemans Bay.

The clinic will be open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm until further notice.

The District is also opening a drive-through clinic at Captain Oldrey Park, Broulee from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm today, then 9:00 am to 5:00 pm until Friday. Future testing times to be confirmed. No booking or GP referral is required.

Testing hours at Moruya Hospital have also changed to 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and will be extended daily depending on demand.

SNSWLHD is urging anyone feeling unwell – even with the mildest of symptoms such as a runny nose, scratchy throat cough, fever, shortness of breath, headache, sore throat, tiredness, loss of taste/smell, nausea, diarrhoea or muscle aches – to self-isolate and seek COVID-19 testing, so cases in the community are identified as quickly as possible.

Even if patients test negative, they should remain in isolation for the full 14 days, and should be tested again if they develop symptoms of COVID-19. The need for scheduled appointments across many of the District’s COVID-19 testing sites has been removed. Callers to the SNSWLHD 1800 999 880 COVID-19 line will be provided with information on testing eligibility and clinic times and locations.

These sites include Goulburn Base Hospital, Queanbeyan District Hospital, Eurobodalla Health Service (Moruya), South East Regional Hospital, Cooma District Hospital, Jindabyne Clinic and Yass District Hospital.