The Palmerston North COVID-19 Community Testing Centre at 575 Main Street, Palmerston North is relocating to the Central Energy Trust Arena.

From Sunday 8th May 2022, anyone who is symptomatic or a household contact can collect their pre-ordered Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) or receive a PCR test at the new location at Central Energy Trust Arena, Palmerston North.

Bronwen Warren, COVID-19 Response Manager for MidCentral says that while the Main Street site had served the team well, the move to the Central Energy Trust Arena is well timed as we move through the Omicron wave.

“The lease for the Main Street site has come to an end, and the COVID-19 Response Team have moved to the Palmerston North Central COVID-19 Vaccination Centre at 38 Fitzherbert Avenue.

“We’ve chosen to relocate the drive-through testing site to the Central Energy Trust Arena, a proven location that gives us the ability to scale during surges in demand.”

The public can access this new drive-through site via Gate 3 on Cuba Street, Palmerston North and will be open Mondays through Fridays 8.30am to 4pm and Sundays from 10am to 2pm.

Warren says “When we have used the Arena for testing or vaccination before, it has always been under Alert Levels where events of scale couldn’t function. Now we are in Orange, we’ve worked collaboratively to identify how we can have a permanent presence without disrupting the other users of the Arena.

“We will be closed on Saturdays during the Speedway season, and PCR tests will be available for free for those who need them on Saturdays from The Palms Medical Centre, 445 Ferguson Street, Palmerston North, 9am - 4.30pm. “

To find a pre-ordered RATs collection site near you operating on Saturdays, visit: https://bit.ly/CommunityCollectionSites

The last day to receive a PCR test or collect your pre-ordered RATs tests from the current 575 Main Street site is Friday 6 May 2022.

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