THEY'VE put in the hard yards at Mount Panorama in a Bathurst winter - and they've been thanked for their efforts.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mayor Ian North and Western NSW Local Health District chief executive officer Scott McLachlan have both paid tribute to the COVID testers who have been staffing the Laverty Pathology drive-through clinic at Mount Panorama.
They are not the only COVID testers in the city, but they have had some of the more challenging conditions on Bathurst winter days where the temperature hasn't broken into the double figures.
READ ALSO:
"The efforts at Mount Panorama, and all over town, have been tremendous," Cr North said.
"They are very much the frontline."
Cr North said he, as part of his lawn maintenance and gardening work, is outside well before dawn a couple of times a week and he knows what the Bathurst winter can throw at you.
"For the nursing staff and people doing testing, you can't thank them enough," he said.
"Thank you does not seem good enough when you think about what these people are doing."
The testers' job has become more important and more challenging with the confirmation that Bathurst now has a number of active COVID cases.
Health district CEO Mr McLachlan echoed the mayor's comments.
"All of our testing teams, health staff generally, are just amazing," he said.
"There are some real heroes among them. The team that is at Bathurst, at the Mount Panorama testing clinic, I just take my hat off to them. They are quite incredible.
"I know there is a bit of cold weather coming ... and we really appreciate everything they're doing."
The drive-through clinic at Mount Panorama remains open seven days a week from 8am to 4pm and no booking is required.
COVID testing is also available at Bathurst Hospital and at Ochre Health at the Charles Sturt University campus.
