We are urging anyone who visited the Crossroads Hotel or Planet Fitness in Casula, the Picton Hotel in Picton, or any other identified locations during the designated dates, to get tested for COVID-19 in line with NSW Government recommendations. We particularly encourage people in the upper Blue Mountains, who are experiencing even mild COVID-like symptoms to come forward for testing, following four confirmed cases associated with the Crossroads Cluster.

In addition to the Local Health District’s hospital and drive-through COVID-19 testing services, we helped establish three federally funded GP-led COVID-19 Respiratory Clinics located in Windsor, Hazelbrook and Jamisontown.

GP-led COVID-19 Respiratory Clinics are particularly helpful for patients with a respiratory illness who require a face-to-face consultation with a GP that can’t be managed by telehealth alone.

The purpose of these clinics is to assess people with any respiratory symptom such as sore throat, fever, cough, or shortness of breath, even those with mild symptoms and to provide clinical advice on symptom management, not just COVID-19 testing.

Attendance at GP-led Respiratory Clinics is free but by appointment only and patients should not “just turn-up”. Appointments should be made online by visiting www.nbmphn.com.au/GPCOVIDClinics. Patients will receive their test results via phone or SMS and will be referred back to their usual GP for ongoing management.

Only through widespread testing can we detect new cases of community transmission and prevent a possible second wave of the disease.