Students have flocked to North Dunedin’s Covid-19 testing centre in the hours since a positive case was linked to a Castle Street party. They are now turning away asymptomatic people, asking them to self-isolate instead.
Barely two hours after the University advised all students who attended a Castle Street party on Saturday night to get tested, the Covid-19 testing centre on Malcolm Street has been overrun with lines of cars extending out onto the one-way. Almost everyone getting tested seemed to be students, which was evident because almost all of the vehicles were older-model hatchbacks and station wagons. The security guard on duty told Critic Te Arohi that they were “swamped” from the moment the student-wide alert was sent.
“We’ve got seven of us inside plus me out here,” he said. “We can’t keep up.” Their current position was to not test people who didn’t have symptoms, he said, going down the line of cars and turning groups away. He said that if you didn’t have symptoms, you need to self-isolate and monitor for symptoms instead. “If you have symptoms, get tested. If you don’t have symptoms after seven days, you’re scot-free”.
Students seemed mostly unbothered. With “good vibes” (DnB) blasting from their red hatchback, two guys said that they weren’t too worried about the virus, but went to get tested to “protect everyone else”. They were both fully vaccinated, but neither had got their booster shot yet.
Would a positive Covid-19 case stop them from partying? The answer was an emphatic no. “Of course I wouldn’t go if I had a positive test,” one said, but “we all knew it was gonna happen at some point,” pointing to the recent positive case at the Canterbury University hall.
Sophie and Emma told Critic Te Arohi that their friend was a positive case - but they only found out after he texted them. “It was pretty gutting because we did everything right. We were at a BBQ, but the gathering was pretty small and it was all outdoors.” While they weren’t too concerned about the impact of the virus on themselves, because “we’re boosted, young and healthy,” they were more worried about the impact it would have on others. “I’ve got to go in to work,” said Sophie, “and my friend’s 21st is this weekend, so it sucks that this happened”.
The University’s current guidance is for anyone who attended a party on Castle Street between 7pm Saturday and 1am Sunday to get tested and self-isolate until a negative result is returned. Anyone who attended a party on Castle Street between 7pm Tuesday and 12:30am Wednesday is to self-isolate until next Monday, and get tested on Saturday.
Anyone with symptoms who needs a test is advised to go to the testing centre at 5 Malcolm Street, on the one-way opposite Allpress Espresso and Cumberland College. They’re open from 11am - 7pm every day. A second testing centre is available in Victoria Road, St Kilda, just next to the Ice Stadium. They’re open between 9am-4pm every day.