Covid-19 testing is taking place at the Port of Tauranga all week. Photo / File
Covid-19 testing is taking place at the Port of Tauranga all week. Photo / File
Surveillance testing for about 6000 Port of Tauranga workers began at noon on Monday and has been extended until the end of the week.
However, one port worker has trust in the systems already in place.
A truck driver, who spoke to the Bay of Plenty Times on the conditionof anonymity said he was tested at the weekend, following a request from the port and the company he works for.
"I don't think it [Covid-19] would affect us because we're already had things put in place like paperless dockets and all that. So we don't make contact with a lot of people in everyone just keeps their distance."
Testing port workers was initially meant to have been completed by Monday night, but it had been extended to the end of the week due to the sheer number of port workers.
"No one is going to be penalised if no one has had their test by later tonight," the director-general of health said at the 1pm briefing.
Bay of Plenty DHB incident controller Dr Joe Bourne. Photo / File
Bay of Plenty DHB incident controller Dr Joe Bourne said the board would be prioritising port workers who have been on board a vessel in the past 14 days and those who had been in direct contact with crew.
"We have agreed [on] a flexible approach with the Ministry of Health and will be testing throughout the week."
Port workers would be contacted by their company to allocate them a testing slot.
"We will be collecting a large number of swabs this week throughout the DHB region and therefore we will need to prioritise processing," Bourne said.
"Please be patient. Port workers do not need to stand down from work while awaiting swab results."
DHB and primary health staff, in collaboration with the Port of Tauranga, worked through the weekend to ensure sufficient capacity to test all required workers.
Bourne said a team of registered nurses and support staff is on site at the testing facility.
"We will be monitoring how the process is working and will make adjustments as needed so that the testing runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible."
The testing facility at Port of Tauranga was a dedicated facility for port workers only. Family members of port workers did not need to be tested if they were well, Bourne said.
A Port of Tauranga spokeswoman said those that had been tested did not need to self isolate, but instead "carry on as usual".
"Testing is by appointment only so that we can manage the flow of people and prioritise those who may have been in direct contact with visiting ships. There is no impact on operations," she said.
The testing station comes after 3335 people presented for testing in the Bay of Plenty DHB region last week following a change in alert levels.
However, Bourne said the DHB was not installing a remote testing station at this stage until it became "necessary".
Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation chief executive Lindsey Webber. Photo / File
Testing in the Western Bay of Plenty was managed by general practice teams over the weekend, with 252 swabs completed on Saturday and 151 on Sunday, Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation chief executive Lindsey Webber said.
"The PHO worked with GPs and local stakeholders to increase the capacity for testing over the weekend, however it was less busy than it had been over the previous 48 hours and our practices managed the flow really well."
