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Jeremy Rockliff,Minister for Health

As we reconnect Tasmania and reopen our borders to travellers, we are ensuring that we have the health and safety nets in place to keep on top of COVID-19 during the reopening phases.

We know that widespread testing of people with cold or flu-like symptoms (even mild) is vital to track and slow the spread of COVID-19 which is why we are increasing our testing capacity across all regions of the State to approximately 5,000.

Partnerships with the North West Pathology, Launceston Pathology, and Hobart Pathology will see clinics in Burnie, Launceston, and Hobart respectively from Monday 13 December.

These clinics will be especially convenient for people wishing to get tested as part of domestic travel requirements from December 15.

These clinics will be drive-through and have no requirement to book in advance. Importantly, they will be free of charge.

The three services engaged in the network of clinics have operated in the State for decades and are well-known and trusted members of the State’s existing health system.

An additional bonus of the arrangement is that the added resourcing will free up resources for mobile testing buses and allow the Department of Health to deliver training for new specimen collector employees at its existing sites as part of the Department’s Health Workforce Strategy.

As part of this new partnership, the Burnie COVID-19 testing clinic is moving to a new site in South Burnie and will be operated by North West Pathology.

This clinic will be opening in South Burnie from Monday 13 December, to provide convenient access to testing in the Burnie area and surrounds.

The facility is located at 46 Wellington Street, South Burnie, on the corner of Reeve St, and will be predominantly open 8.00am to 3.00pm seven days a week.

We also continue to maintain our regional testing capacity with the cooperation of our district hospitals and health centre sites and are currently in discussions regarding further testing capacity, particularly for the Bass Strait Islands, and hope to be able to announce more detail very soon.