By Laura Michell
Get tested even if you think you just have “the sniffles”. That’s the message from Whittlesea council chief executive Craig Lloyd.
Mr Lloyd said that while many people had turned out for testing over the past two days, officials still believed there were people who had COVID symptoms or who had attended known exposure sites who had yet to be tested.
“We still think there might be a lot of people who have not been tested or who putting it down to the sniffles,” he said.
“We need people to get tested.”
A number of new pop-up testing sites have been set up in the City of Whittlesea including at Epping Soccer Stadium and Mosiac Drive in Lalor.
Testing is also available at Northern Health, which conducted twice as many tests as normal yesterday.
Mr Lloyd said the council was working with the health department to open more testing sites and help keep the community informed of the latest updates.
He said the council was also providing advice about the needs of the community, including people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, to ensure everyone in the municipality is kept up-to-date.
“If you get stuck and don’t know where to go, contact council,” he said.
“We are all in this together. Get tested and stay safe.”
Mr Lloyd said the outbreak served as a reminder of the importance of getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
A new mass vaccination hub open at Plenty Ranges Arts and Convention Centre at 1pm today.
The centre is accepting walk-ins.
Details: whittlesea.vic.gov.au
