Beechgrove COVID-19 Assessment Centre becoming appointment-only

The COVID-19 Community Assessment Centre in Kingston is transitioning to appointment-based testing. Walk-in visits are ending as the province works through issues of testing capacity and large backlogs. The change aims to reduce lineups and provide certainty to patients as to when they can receive a test as we approach the cold winter months.

The final day for walk-in testing at the AC at the Beechgrove Complex will be today, Saturday, Oct. 3. 

As of Sunday, Oct. 4, the AC will begin operating by appointment.  Initially, it will use a manual appointment system trialed earlier this week as plans are finalized for an online booking system.  According to the City of Kingston, the manual system has been successful in “smoothing” volumes over the day and providing people with greater clarity about expected wait times.

“All people seeking testing at the Assessment Centre must meet the criteria under the guidelines issued recently, and should first complete the online assessment to ensure that they require a COVID test,” said the City of Kingston in a press release.

“Upon arrival at the Beechgrove Complex, people will be briefly screened by staff and manually assigned an appointment time.  While we will strive for same-day appointments, this is subject to the volume of people presenting for tests,” the City said in the release. “By Tuesday, October 6, we anticipate being able to launch an online booking system that has been in development over the past several weeks.”

The Beechgrove Complex Assessment Centre will continue to operate daily 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with no plans for extended hours this weekend.