Burlington’s Nelson Arena will become a COVID testing site

Published September 24, 2020 at 2:33 pm

Burlington’s Nelson Arena will become a testing centre for COVID-19.

The arena is located at 4235 New St.

Burlington’s Nelson Arena will become a testing centre for COVID-19.

The arena is located at 4235 New St.

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward confirmed the need for an additional testing location during an interview with inhalton.com yesterday.

“The (Joseph Brant) hospital reached out to us and we are letting them use the arena,” said the mayor. “It is one of those awesome partnerships that we have which has been a hallmark in our approach to the pandemic. The arena is a great space, there is lots of parking. There are no other events happening in that facility so that was an important consideration.”

Although a date has not been announced, Meed Ward said the opening is imminent.

Joseph Brant has indicated the demand for COVID testing has pushed the capabilities of the facility to meet all requests. Last week the hospital experienced a 1,400 percent increase of requests for testing which has led to delays in the procedure.

Yesterday, the provincial government announced that some pharmacies will begin free testing as of tomorrow, but no Burlington locations have yet been named.

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