Premier Doug Ford announced that several communities across southwestern Ontario, including Waterloo Region, would have pharmacies offering COVID-19 testing as early as next week.
He said that Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge as well as nearby Brantford, Stratford and Woodstock could see testing begin as early as Tuesday.
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“And we’re going to keep expanding to more pharmacies across the province in the coming weeks,” Ford said Friday.
“But the biggest thing we can all do is to make sure surgeries are not delayed, to make sure we have enough hospital beds is to follow the public health measures,” Ford continued before telling people to wash their hands, wear a mask and to follow proper physical distancing guidelines.
“It’s the simple things that can save lives, and it’s up to all of us to do our part,” Ford said.
The drive-thru testing centre in Kitchener was closed on Wednesday due to unruly residents and traffic snarls caused by long lines of cars and even longer wait times.
Residents have also complained of week-long waits to book an appointment at one of the testing centres.
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Kitchener drive-thru testing clinic re-opens by appointment
On Wednesday, the province announced that testing would begin at 60 pharmacies which were mostly located in the GTA and Ottawa area.
Some pharmacies started offering COVID-19 tests although the appointment-only tests can only be requested by certain asymptomatic individuals
Just who qualifies and how they can get the test was already causing some confusion, according to a report from The Canadian Press.