People calling the Covid-19 healthline are facing long waits on hold as the phone line struggles with high demand.
In Northcote, cars were bumper to bumper as congestion built around College Rd, where there is a Covid-19 testing site. Photo: RNZ / Jordan Bond
It follows Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's announcement yesterday of four positive cases of Covid-19 in the Auckland community, and the move to level 3 across the city.
The rest of New Zealand is moving to level 2, with Ardern revealing this morning that one of the four cases had travelled with a child to Rotorua while symptomatic.
Official health advice is that people should stay home and call Healthline - or their doctor - for advice if they have cold or flu symptoms.
RNZ is receiving reports the 0800 Healthline has been swamped with calls and people are waiting on hold for hours.
One caller said they phoned at 6am today and was told they were 85th in the queue with a 25-minute wait time. An hour and a half later, he was 487th in the queue and the wait time had grown to an hour.
Another caller said they were told the White Cross Medical Centre in Mt Wellington was a 24-hour testing site - and they arrived at 6.30am to find it closed.
He said with no publicly accessible register of testing locations, he was left with no option but to call Healthline.
Testing in Northcote looked to be busy as Auckland city moved into level 3. Photo: RNZ / Jordan Bond
Northern Region Health Coordination Centre lead (and Counties Manukau Health chief executive) Margie Apa asked Aucklanders to prepare to be patient if they were aiming to be tested today.
"We expected to see further community cases in Auckland at some point in this pandemic, and we are well prepared.
"Our message to people living in Auckland is to continue to be vigilant. The best defense against Covid-19 is to follow the same actions we took earlier in the pandemic. Maintain good hand hygiene. If you are sick, stay home. Keep track of your movements to help us with contact tracing. Maintain physical distancing."
Capacity at Auckland's four Community Testing Centres has been boosted, with additional staff and longer hours.
In Northcote, cars were bumper to bumper as congestion built around College Rd, where there is a Covid-19 testing site. Photo: RNZ / Jordan Bond
While traffic management is in place at all four sites, Apa said people should expect longer waits than usual.
People have reported congestion around areas of testing stations in Auckland, with police also saying Northcote and Henderson were experiencing this.
Motorists have been asked to avoid unnecessary travel in the area if possible.
Two pop-up centres were open from 9am. One in Otara Town Centre carpark (14 Fair Mall, Otara), the second at Health New Lynn (Level 1 carpark, Totara Health Services, McCrae Way, New Lynn).
General Practices and Urgent Care Clinics are also prepared for a higher volume of testing, the co-ordination centre said.
Mobile testing units are also on standby to be deployed to locations throughout the city as directed by public health.
In her briefing this afternoon with Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield and Police Commissioner Andrew Coster, Ardern asked that only symptomatic people in Auckland seek testing, to avoid clogging up the facilities.
During the briefing, about 11am, she said Healthline had received more than 2000 calls since yesterday's announcement.
