Health Ministry to create more COVID-19 testing sites

Identifying and isolating people who are infected with the novel coronavirus is one of the important steps in the fight to keep COVID-19 from spreading any further. The Health Ministry has therefore decided to create more COVID-19 testing sites. The Regional Hospital Wanica (RZW) has also started with test drives. Before the end of next week there will also be test drives the RGD clinics and health centers located at Geyersvlijt, Latour, Limesgracht, Meerzorg and Onverwacht. People can contact these clinics directly and are no longer required to dial 178 first. Health officials made it clear that it is also important for people with symptoms to stay home and to isolate themselves from others. The Public Health Bureau (BOG) also advises people to call their family doctor or 178 or to go straight to one of the test drives if they have the following COVID-19 symptoms: fever, dry cough, tiredness, aches and pains, sore throat, diarrhea, conjunctivitis, headache, loss of taste or smell, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. According to the BOG, several firms sent all of their employees to the testing sites of the BOG after one of the employees tested positive for COVID-19. Some people try to get tested by simulating the symptoms. The BOG made it clear that simulating symptoms is senseless because when these people test negative, they wrongly assume that they are safe. Health officials made it clear that only people with actual symptoms are tested and they also urge firms not to send their employees who do not have any symptoms.