Torquay COVID test site closed

THE Torquay COVID-19 PCR testing site at Spring Creek Reserve has closed after two years of operation.

The clinic was established on September 21, 2020 by Barwon Health but later switched to management by private health provider Australian Clinical Labs that last week announced its closure and removed the pop-up drive through marquee.

“Over the previous couple of months there has been declining patient demand at this location,” a company spokesperson said.

“Clinical Labs regularly reviews the patient demand of all of our COVID testing sites across Victoria.”

The nearest alternative PCR test site for the region is at 241 Pakington Street, Newtown.

The scale down of local COVID response measures are in line with state and federal government announcements about the winding back of mask mandates on public transport and air travel, and the October 14 end date for rules forcing people to isolate for five days if they test positive to COVID.

Pandemic Leave Disaster Payments will also cease to be available when the isolation period rules change, however workers in high-risk settings such as health, disability and aged care will be exempt from the measures.

“It does not in any way suggest that the pandemic is finished,” Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said.

“We will almost certainly see future peaks of the virus into the future, as we have seen earlier in this year.

“However, at the moment, we have very low rates of…cases, hospitalisations, intensive care admissions, aged-care outbreaks and various other measures.”