FROM tomorrow (April 24), any Canberrans who have a fever or an acute respiratory illness can be tested for COVID-19.

The expansion of testing will last for two weeks, so ACT Health can get a better view of the virus situation in the community, says Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith.

In order to be tested, Canberrans need to show COVID-19 symptoms such as a fever of 38 degrees or greater (or history of fever such as night sweats), or acute respiratory illness like shortness of breath, cough or sore throat.

People who have COVID-19 symptoms are encouraged to call their general practitioner or to attend one of the designated testing services at the Weston Creek Walk-in-Centre and the EPIC drive through testing site.

These people no longer need to have travelled overseas recently, be a close contact of a confirmed case or meet the other previously expanded criteria, Ms Stephen-Smith says.

And, people who are tested under the new arrangements will still be required to self-quarantine until they receive a negative test result, she says.

“This increased testing will give us some really valuable information as we make decisions about the way forward,” she says.

“We are confident that we are in a very good position in the ACT. Given our low number of confirmed cases and extremely low number of COVID-19 patients in our hospitals, we do not expect to see a large number of undiagnosed cases.”

ACT chief health officer Dr Kerryn Coleman says the expansion in testing is possible because of the recent drop in demand for testing using the existing criteria.

“Due to excellent adherence to physical distancing rules and the reduction in returning overseas travellers, we have an increasing capacity to test other people from groups that are less likely to have come into contact with COVID-19,” Dr Coleman says.