As new cases of COVID-19 emerge in the community and close contacts are announced on campus, many students are looking to get tested. The ACT Government currently advises that only those who are close contacts or those with symptoms should get tested, due to high demand. New testing sites have opened over the past few days, increasing options available for testing. Here’s a run-down of where you can get tested. 

Testing Locations 

There are three major testing centres in the ACT, including walk-in and drive-through, alongside additional smaller centres. Waiting times are currently much longer than usual, and the Government advises bringing water, food, and entertainment for the wait.

ACT Government Testing Centres

Walk-in Testing Centres: 

• Weston Creek – open 7:30am until 10pm, everyday
• Winnunga Nimmityjah Respiratory Clinic (caters to First Nations patients and existing customers) – open 9:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday

Drive-Through Testing Centres:

• Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC) – open 8am until late, everyday 
• Brindabella Business Park  – open 8am until late, everyday

Non-Government Testing Clinics

Private Pathology Centres (no appointment or referral necessary):

• Capital Pathology in O’Connor, Woden, Tuggeranong, Crace and Holt – all open during the week; Tuggeranong and O’Connor open 8am to 5pm on Saturdays; Woden open 7:30am to 1:30 on Saturdays and 10am to 1pm on Sundays 
• Laverty Pathology in Franklin 

By Appointment: 

• YourGP@Crace – open 1pm to 5pm, Monday to Friday
• Lakeview Medical Practice, Tuggeranong – open 9am to 12pm, Monday to Friday

All testing at the ACT Government testing centres is free, including for individuals without a Medicare card. Meanwhile, at private pathology centres, testing can be bulk-billed for those with a Medicare card. 

Most of the testing centres listed above are not close to the ANU’s Acton campus, and thus are not easily accessible by foot or cycling for students living in inner Canberra. The closest ACT Government site to ANU campus is the Brindabella Business Park testing centre, about a ten-minute drive away, and the EPIC site is around a fifteen-minute drive away.

For students without access to a car, the closest testing centre to ANU is Capital Pathology in O’Connor, however, this could be financially inaccessible to those without a Medicare card. ACT Health has advised that individuals requiring testing that do not have a private mode of transport may use public transport, rideshare services or taxis to get to a testing centre, provided that they are not in quarantine. Restrictions on this are detailed here. 

However, any person in quarantine that requires testing must use a private mode of transport. If you are unable to access private transport, please contact ACT Health to organise an alternative means of testing. 

Waiting for your Result 

Once they have been tested, on-campus students must notify their residence and the COVID Response Office at ANU. Individuals are required to self-isolate until they receive a negative result. Furthermore, the Response Office must be notified if you are a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, identified as a close contact or a secondary contact of COVID-19, or are required to stay at home and quarantine.

Students have been provided with meals during recent self-isolation requirements, as has been seen en-masse at self-catered halls, such as Burton and Garran Hall and Wamburun Hall. 

Woroni has asked the ANU for comment regarding the most up-to-date restrictions for students awaiting a negative result and will update the article accordingly.