Covid-19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Bulls Medical Centre opens testing facility with help of Air Force

Defence Force members from Ohakea Air Base installed a number of tents in the carpark of Bulls Medical Centre on Wednesday to create a drive-through Covid-19 testing facility. Photo / Supplied

A Bulls medical practice - with the help of a very well-equipped neighbour - employed a clever method of Covid-19 testing when a new case of community transmission was announced on Tuesday.

Bulls Medical Centre was deciding how to establish a designated Covid-19 testing facility for the town but had to ensure the highly infectious Delta variant of the virus didn't spread among other patients and staff.

Dr Dave Baldwin, a doctor in the town for the last 30 years, received a phone call from one of his staff on Wednesday, suggesting how to construct an outdoor Covid-19 testing facility.

"When you're testing people with symptoms of Covid-19, you need to keep them away from the medical centre," Baldwin said.

"Out of the blue, one of my staff rang me and said 'how about we ask the local Air Force for a tent'."

The idea stacked up so Baldwin called the head of Ohakea airbase, asking if the practice could use some tents.

"I rang the base commander at Ohakea and he got the emergency response team here within an hour and we had some beautiful tents."

The idea was sparked by an exercise in case of a local civil defence emergency in the area only a week prior.

Last week, a number of Defence Force staff put up tents in the carpark of the medical centre, making plans if there was to ever be a large-scale local emergency.

"We didn't expect to be utilising them only a week later," Baldwin said.

The long-serving doctor said the relationship many businesses and organisations in the Bulls community had with the Defence Force was valuable.

"Ohakea has always been part of the family, if you know what I mean. I used to be the base doctor and the relationship has been strong.

"We see ourselves as a community facility. To be able to have an ongoing relationship with the military is great. We need some tents and they just turn up.

"We're proud of it - as a group, we're doing our best."