With demand in Groningen peaking, those that want to be tested will now be accepted in Drachten and/or Assen
It is very busy at Groningen’s test location, the health organisation GGD says. Despite the fact that an extra facility will be opened in Veendam on Tuesday, people in Groningen that live close to the provincial border may have to go to Drachten or Assen for their test. “Sometimes these locations have more space there,” said a spokeswoman.
According to a spokesperson from the GGD Groningen, it is indeed very busy, but not to the extent that the facility in Groningen is overrun. “The rules for corona tests are set out nationwide. You can be advised to go to a test-site in another province if you can get there faster, and if the distance does not matter much. At the test location in Groningen we also get people who come from a different GGD. It is simply busy at the test locations throughout the country. ”, GIC.nl reports.
The number of corona tests in the province of Groningen increased from 3,054 to 3,983 last week. “I don’t have any figures yet, but it has certainly not got lower this week,” said spokesperson Hanneke Mensink on behalf of the GGD and the Safety Region.
A new location in Veendam will open on Tuesday. The test location in Groningen is also moving from the UMCG to an old Philips building on the Europaweg. “We will keep a close eye on whether we can handle the crowds at these test locations”, says Mensink.
According to Mensink, it cannot be ruled out that the current test location in the UMCG will eventually have to be put back into use. “If necessary, we have to act. And then reopening the location in the UMCG is an option ”, says Mensink.
The Dutch Ministry of Health said on Monday that is wants people to only be tested when they have symptoms. This has come in response to some employers that err on the side of caution with employees that have taken a holiday abroad.
Secondary schools also want students to be tested first. Mensink: “It has been our policy from the start that you only have yourself tested if you have complaints. A test is pointless without complaints. ”
According to the GGD, the number of infections is also increasing in Groningen. There are currently 10 full-time employees involved in the source and contact investigation. “We can still handle that with the current line-up. We are busy recruiting new colleagues to be able to cope with extra pressure in the future”, says Mensink.
Image via Wikimedia user Donald Trung Quoc Don (Chữ Hán: 徵國單). License here.
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