Some Sydneysiders needing to take a test have been relying on social media to find locations that are not overwhelmed and shops with rapid antigen tests in stock.
Sydneysiders are still waiting in long testing queues despite eased interstate travel rules.Dean Sewell
It came as national cabinet on Thursday agreed to,meaning asymptomatic close contacts would only have to take a PCR test after receiving a positive rapid test result.
Histopath director of strategic operations Greg Granger said the testing provider on Thursday was still servicing just as many people as before Queensland announced that PCR tests would not be required for entry from January 1.
“Any gains we hope to see have just[been] offset by increase in[case numbers and] exposure sites,” he said.
“The biggest bottleneck still remains the laboratories.”
As well as laboratory methodology challenges,he said up to 20 staff a day were unable to work due to testing positive for COVID-19.
Mr Granger said Histopath was planning to reopen all testing sites from January 4,after a reduction in hours over Christmas.
“But there’s no use reopening all these sites if the laboratory isn’t able to maintain the capacity,” he said.
NSW Health on Wednesday warned that people were unlikely to receive their results within 72 hours and urged holidaymakers to avoid testing queues to help ease pressure on laboratory testing.
Premier Dominic Perrottet has blamed interstate travel requirements for some of the pressure placed on the state’s testing capacity,earlier this week saying up to 30 per cent of tests were for tourism purposes.
Lengthy testing lines were seen across Sydney again as the state’s case numbers soar past 12,000.
The long lines and capacity problems at Sydney testing sites has led people to seek advice on social media.
Josh Stewart,25,and two friends launched Instagram account Bondi Lines three months ago to help Sydneysiders find the best places to go out after the city emerged from its 107-day lockdown in October.
Now,they’ve found themselves working all day to update the community on where to source in-demand rapid tests and how long the wait is at Sydney’s PCR testing locations.
“It’s almost become a second job,” he said,adding that the trio respond to hundreds of direct messages every day.
“It wasn’t our intention to start covering testing lines,but we got three or four messages saying I’m in a 1½-hour line in a COVID site in Bondi,and it blew up from there.”
Since the state emerged from lockdown,Bondi Lines has put out a weekly quiz asking its followers if they’re planning on going out to a venue,if they’re isolating or if they’re scared of COVID-19.
Since the page started,the number of people in the latter two categories has skyrocketed. “Although we didn’t[set] out to be affiliated with COVID,the virus is linked to whether people will be out on a Saturday night,so we’ve kept it up on that basis,” he said.
Mr Stewart said the appeal of Bondi Lines came from the lack of clear information from the state government as to where to get a test,and when it’s required.
“We just plug holes where we can;the least we can do is tell people where they shouldn’t bother lining up,” he said.
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