Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living advises that starting on Monday, Oct. 26, COVID-19 testing appointments will be able to be made at testing sites in Dauphin, Swan River, Brandon (Keystone Centre site), Winkler, Steinbach, Portage la Prairie, Flin Flon, The Pas and Thompson.

First rolled out in Winnipeg on Oct. 19, the new, appointment-based scheduling system for COVID-19 tests is being implemented in the communities to make it easier for people to access testing. Appointments are not required at drive thru locations.

People can call 1-855-268-4318 (toll-free) or go online to make appointments to get a COVID-19 test at manitoba.ca.

At this time, only people with symptoms are being advised to get tested for COVID-19. Appointments are expected to take about five minutes for adults and about 10 minutes for children.

People are asked to arrive about 10 minutes early for their appointment to allow time to check in and to bring their health card or government-issued identification.

In addition to these rural and northern communities, appointments are available at testing centres and drive-up sites in Winnipeg at 604 St. Mary’s Rd., 2735 Pembina Hwy. and 1181 Portage Ave.

Since Oct. 19, more than 1,500 appointments have been made by phone and 760 online in Winnipeg. Call volumes are being managed, and most people are able to make same-day or next-day appointments.

For more information on testing locations, visit manitoba.ca.