By Danielle Kutchel
Hundreds of drivers have flocked to Fountain Gate Shopping Centre to get tested for Covid-19, as the State Government ramps up its testing blitz.
The centre is one of six new mobile testing sites announced on Thursday 30 April.
The other new sites include Bunnings West Footscray, Pacific Werribee, Pacific Epping, Watergardens Town Centre, and Bayside Shopping Centre in Frankston.
It comes after four new mobile coronavirus testing sites opened earlier this week at Chadstone, Doncaster, Highpoint and Northland shopping centres, bringing the total so far to 10.
The Fountain Gate site is located in the undercover carpark near the Myer entrance and is open from 9am-5pm.
The drive-through facility is open to all visitors and is manned by doctors, nurses and pathology collection staff to provide a one stop shop.
When Star News visited on Friday 1 May, dozens of cars were queued up to make use of the new testing facility.
Dorevitch staff in personal protective equipment worked their way through the queue, and a representative said 144 people had been tested as of 3pm, up from 114 the previous day.
Symptoms that should prompt people to get tested include fever, chills, shortness of breath, cough, sore throat, loss of sense of smell, or a runny nose.
Even the most mild of symptoms could be a sign of coronavirus, so anyone with symptoms, however mild, is encouraged to get tested.
The test involves a simple swap of the throat and nose.
People will need to bring their Medicare card, or if they don’t have one, at least one form of identification.
This will ensure international students and other visitors can also be tested if required.
“The more people we test, the more we’ll know about the spread of the virus, which will help guide any decisions about potentially easing restrictions,” Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton said.
A spokesperson for Scentre Group, which manages Westfield Fountain Gate, said: “We welcome the Victorian Government’s decision to set up mobile testing sites at shopping centres. As essential community infrastructure, our Westfield centres play an integral role in the lives of our local customers and communities, and we are pleased to be able to support the government and our local communities in enabling more people to readily access testing in their local area.”
Additional mobile testing sites in regional and suburban locations will be announced in the coming days.
Meanwhile, shops inside Fountain Gate are beginning to reopen their doors as signs of normalcy return.
Stores are still subject to social distancing measures and anyone with coronavirus-like symptoms is asked to refrain from going to the centre.
More information on testing is available at dhhs.vic.gov.au/victorian-public-coronavirus-disease-covid-19#where-can-i-get-tested-for-coronavirus-covid-19.
