Gore Health, Hokonui Rūnanga, Gore District Council, WellSouth primary health network and Southern DHB are providing free COVID-19 swabbing at a one day ‘pop-up’ surveillance testing site this Friday. 

The drive-through testing centre will be at the Ordsal Street, near the Hands of Fame statue, in Gore on Friday from 10am to 4pm. 

“Anyone can and should get tested – you don’t need to have symptoms,” Gore Health chief executive Karl Metzler said. “It only takes a few minutes to have the test done and it’s free.”

The Gore pop-up surveillance site is part of ongoing surveillance testing around the country over the next couple of weeks.

Surveillance testing has also taken place in Queenstown, at ports, marae and some large employers. 

Southern District Health Board medical officer of health Dr Susan Jack said testing asymptomatic people in the community was an important part of ensuring the district continued to be free of COVID-19. 

“We remain at Alert Level 2 and there are currently no cases of COVID-19 or community transmission in the district."

“Pop up testing sites help us to continue to ensure this is the case – particularly as people are moving around the country more,” Dr Jack said. 

WellSouth director of nursing Wendy Findlay said the drive-through testing site would help make COVID-19 testing convenient and accessible.

"We strongly encourage anyone in Gore who wants a COVID-19 test to come along be tested,” she said.