The CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Ile-de-Montreal announced Sunday that a new COVID-19 drive-thru testing clinic will be opening in the city’s Quartier des spectacles on Jeanne-Mance street as of Monday at 8 a.m.
The new clinic will replace the current “by-appointment” clinic at Hotel-Dieu hospital which is set to close to further appointments as of Sunday night.
The new clinic will be able to accommodate between 2,000 and 2,500 people daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.
Officials say appointments aren’t necessary and people can come by car or by foot.
They insist social distancing measures will be enforced.
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The new addition is the third COVID-19 testing clinic on the island of Montreal.
People will go through triage in their vehicles but if it’s determined that they need to be tested, they will be directed to park their cars and proceed to testing.
All tests will be done in a heated tent but authorities are advising people, especially pedestrians, to dress for the weather. They also ask people to not take public transit to get to the test site.
As of Sunday, Jeanne Mance Street is closed between Saint-Catherine and Bleury Street and de Maisonneuve between Saint-Urbain and Jeanne-Mance.
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To qualify for the coronavirus test, persons need to have symptoms such as fever, cough or difficulty breathing, or have traveled or have been in close contact with a confirmed case.
— With files from Global’s Phil Carpenter