Michaela Meade
UPDATE: COVID-19 testing at Northern Hospital has been suspended, with the site at capacity.
Large queues have formed at COVID testing sites across the northern suburbs, with wait times of more than one hour at a number of sites, according to the department of health.
The department has published testing site wait times on its website, revealing a wait of 75 minutes at Northern Hospital’s drive-through testing site on Cooper Street in Epping.
There is a wait of 60 minutes at DPV Health’s drive-through testing site at Schotters Road in Mernda.
Testing sites at Hume council in Broadmeadows, Mickleham Road in Tullamarine and La Trobe University in Bundoora are experiencing a 30-minute wait.
The department stated on its website that redirections to alternate sites in close proximity and with lesser wait times may be in place.
Other northern suburbs testing sites include Epping Memorial Hall, Northern Health’s Craigieburn Centre, Coolaroo Respiratory Clinic, 4Cyte Pathology in Epping and First Peoples’ Health and Wellbeing in Thomastown.
To check testing locations, visit: www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/
It comes as train passengers were ordered into isolation after two Craigieburn line train services were classified as tier 2 exposure sites.
Craigieburn railway station was also added to the list of COVID-19 exposure sites.
The station is classified as a tier 3 site, and is connected to a confirmed coronavirus case of a Wollert man announced yesterday.
Anyone who was at the Craigieburn station between 5.23pm and 5.28pm on Friday, May 7 should monitor for symptoms.
The trains were the Craigieburn to South Cross service, departing at 5.28pm and arriving at 6.07pm on Friday, May 7, and the Flinders Street to Craigieburn service, departing at 10.20pm and arriving at 11.05pm on the same evening.
Anyone who was on the service, in any carriage and embarking or disembarking at any station, needs to get tested urgently and isolate until a negative result is received.
These exposure sites are in addition to the Epping, Altona North and Melbourne CBD sites announced yesterday.
The Epping Woolworths exposure site, identified yesterday, was closed for deep cleaning following the announcement.
A Woolworths spokesperson confirmed to Star Weekly the store was cleared by the Department of Health, and was open for trading as normal from 7am this morning.
For the full list of exposure sites, visit www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/exposure-sites
