For the first time, a pop-up COVID-19 testing site will be trialled in a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) community today to support the needs of multicultural South Australia.
Chief Public Health Officer, Professor Nicola Spurrier, said SA Health together with pathology service providers have been working hard to minimise the risk of COVID-19 to all South Australians.
“We know COVID-19 is a virus that doesn’t discriminate and people of all ages and backgrounds can be affected,” Professor Spurrier said.
“Early last month, we invited over 40 leaders from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to come together so we could ensure every community in South Australia was informed about COVID-19.
“We heard firsthand the experiences and issues affecting different communities during the pandemic, and had discussions on ways we can work together to support and inform all South Australians.
“In response, we determined it would be worthwhile to establish pop-up COVID-19 testing sites within CALD communities at critical times, where people who are unwell can be tested and also receive clear, informative and easy to understand health information.”
Simple infographics have been developed with input from community leaders to provide clear advice on how to get tested and how to safely and appropriately isolate at home.
Professor Spurrier said today’s pop-up testing site has been established after working closely with the Afghan community in recent weeks.
“When the Thebarton cluster became apparent, a key factor that enabled us to manage it was reaching out to the community leaders to ensure as much information as possible was available, in a timely manner,” Professor Spurrier said.
“Leaders of the Afghan community in South Australia have worked tirelessly to ensure health messages are shared as widely as possible and to support individuals who were required to undertake quarantine.
“We had already surveyed around 1,300 community members from diverse backgrounds but identified the need to develop alternate ways to engage and support our multicultural communities.
“Today’s state-first will pave the way to help us reach out to other CALD communities and ensure we can establish similar types of information and testing sites elsewhere, if and when required.”
The pop-up site is open from 11am to 3pm at Edinburgh North.
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