Covid 19 Delta outbreak: Testing station set up in Whatawhata, councillor urges residents to get tested

A testing station has been set up at the Te-Papa-O-Rotu Marae in Whatawhata, west of Hamilton today. Photo / Google Maps

The appearance of a pop-up testing station in Whatawhata just west of Hamilton has the community bracing itself for confirmation that Covid has hit the town.

A pop-up testing station opened at Te Papa o Rotu Marae in Whatawhata at 10am today and will run until 3pm.

The Herald understands a positive case in the area will be confirmed by the Ministry of Health this afternoon. A previous Hamilton case is also expected to be reclassified as being from Whatawhata.

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Waikato District councillor Noel Smith was unable to confirm anything until it was released by the Ministry of Health, but urged everyone in Whatawhata to get tested.

Smith said people were intelligent so they were going to work out what was going on when a testing station appeared in the area.

"It has become apparent that people are either apprehensive or for some other reason not getting tested when they are showing signs. It is absolutely imperative in the interest of whanau, wider family, friends that people get tested then we can as a community support those people recover and protect the remainder of our vulnerable community."

Residents expressed their concern on social media about the possible cases. There were also reports of people in the town just west of Hamilton self-isolating.

Smith said a lot of people had questioned why district borders were being used instead of sub-regional borders.

"But of course now it is looking like there was a case in Whatawhata, it brings it closer to home."

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Whatawhata is located between Hamilton and Raglan - where the majority of the Waikato's cases have been.

A Waikato DHB spokesperson referred the Herald to the Ministry of Health which is responsible for releasing new cases.

Yesterday there were three new cases in the Waikato bringing the total number of cases in the region to 45.