State government encourages more coronavirus testing in Geelong

THE state government has started a coronavirus testing blitz in Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo, opening new testing sites and extending the hours of existing ones.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said last week that the decision was driven in part by 175 cases being detected in Geelong over a two-week period, and the intention was to keep the number in regional Victoria as low as possible.
He said the blitz would result in “many thousands” of extra tests.
Metropolitan Melbourne is in Stage 4 lockdown while the rest of Victoria remains in Stage 3. Mr Andrews said he appreciated there was “a real sense of anxiety” about the possibility of places such as Geelong – which has about a third of all regional cases – moving to Stage 4, but he would be guided by the medical advice.
“We’re not at that point yet but we can’t rule it out. We’re making decision as proportionate to the challenge as possible.”
At Tuesday’s press conference, Mr Andrews said the criteria for people to get a test was “very, very broad at the moment”, but he was not advocating for asymptomatic testing (testing people with none of the symptoms of coronavirus).
“So it is not like we are saying ‘only certain symptoms, a really tight definition and they have to be acute before you can come’.
“We are basically saying to people if you have any of these well-known and well understood coronavirus symptoms – so a scratchy throat, runny nose, a change to taste, smell, headache, fever; it is a pretty big list and we are not saying you have to be at a certain point – anything in that kind of realm, please come forward and get tested.
“It is a very broad case criteria.”
For a full list of testing sites, head to dhhs.vic.gov.au/where-get-tested-covid-19.
On Sunday, the state government also extended Victoria’s state of emergency for another four weeks, until September 14.
Since August 2, Victoria has also been in a state of disaster, which can remain in place for up to one month and may then be renewed.