Nova Scotia extends deadline to book appointment for asymptomatic COVID-19 testing

Nova Scotia has extended the deadline to book an appointment for asymptomatic COVID-19 testing until Dec. 18.

The province’s previous deadline was for Sunday.

Asymptomatic, rapid testing has been one of the tools Nova Scotia has been using to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the province during the second wave of the virus.

It’s available for Nova Scotians who:

• Don’t have symptoms
• Have not travelled outside of the Atlantic provinces within the past 14 days
• Have not visited a potential exposure location
• Have not been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19

Individuals who have a lot of close social interaction are encouraged to get asymptomatic testing.

In the province’s central zone, which includes Halifax, individuals are not required to book an appointment. Instead, they can go to the Zatzman Sportsplex in Dartmouth for asymptomatic testing.

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In all other zones, appointments are required and can be booked on the province’s website by choosing the asymptomatic option.

The province will continue to host pop-up rapid testing sites in different locations around Nova Scotia.

The minimum age for those locations is 16 because of the rapid tests being used.

Individuals who receive rapid, asymptomatic testing are not required to self-isolate as they wait for their test results.

The province has cautioned that although a negative test result is a good indication that a person is not able to spread the virus, it does not mean that they aren’t able to become infectious.

Individuals who receive a negative test result must continue to follow public health measures and self-isolate immediately if they do develop symptoms.

They are then supposed to complete the COVID-19 self-assessment.

Testing will be prioritized for individuals who have symptoms and their close contacts so the province says no one is guaranteed to receive an asymptomatic test.

Nova Scotians are being urged to continue to keep their social circles small and to continue to follow public health guidelines. Those includes wearing a mask, maintaining two metres of physical distance from others, proper hand hygiene and adhering to gathering limits.