OTTAWA

Drive-thru COVID testing site coming to Ottawa

Ted Raymond CTV News Ottawa Digital Multi-Skilled Journalist

Published Tuesday, August 25, 2020 11:10AM EDT Last Updated Tuesday, August 25, 2020 12:03PM EDT

A new drive-thru COVID-19 testing site is being set up at RCGT park.

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OTTAWA -- A new drive-thru COVID-19 testing site is being set up at RCGT Park, on Coventry Road near the Vanier Parkway.

A statement from the Champlain COVID-19 Response Committee (CCRC), sent Tuesday, says the site in the parking lot outside the baseball stadium will begin taking bookings in the coming days.

"This new testing site will complement the existing Assessment Centre and Care Clinics in the city. It will be a drive-through-only site, and residents will be able to be tested for COVID-19 without leaving their cars," the statement says.

You will need to book an appointment in advance for this site through an online booking system on Ottawa Public Health's website.

While the site will offer testing, there will be no clinical assessment, so the Champlain COVID-19 Response Committee is recommending symptomatic residents continue to visit the Brewer Assessment Centre or the care clinics on Moodie Drive and Heron Road.

The CCRC says, "More options for mobile testing are being explored and will be implemented shortly."

Between the three existing testing centres, an average of around 1,300 tests are performed daily on weekdays. Only the Brewer site is open on weekends, and it does an average of around 700 tests each day.

Here are testing figures from Aug. 17 to Aug. 23, courtest of the CCRC: