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Travellers’ patience tested in Covid-19 queues

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Patiently waiting: a queue of about 50 people lined up outside the Perot Post Office from yesterday morning as travellers and returned residents waited to get coronavirus tests (Photograph by Akil Simmons)

A queue of about 50 people lined up outside the Perot Post Office yesterday as travellers waited to get coronavirus tests.The line stretched into Queen Elizabeth Park, off Queen Street, in Hamilton, at about 11am as visitors and returned residents took their turn to meet Covid-19 requirements.But the queue had shortened by midafternoon and several people said they were happy with the test process.Geraldine McCaffrey, from St David’s, said that it took her almost an hour to get tested after she joined the line at 1.50pm.She added: “That’s my last test; the previous three times it was very quick.”Ms McCaffrey said that she saw several families queuing outside the building yesterday.She added she had arrived on the British Airways flight from London on August 3 and that she had no complaints over the test procedures.Ms McCaffrey said: “It’s been good, excellent, I can’t fault it.“Today the queue was long, but it is what it is. I think they have done a fantastic job.”Shane Lefkowitz, who flew in from the US two weeks ago to visit his parents in Southampton, waited about 25 minutes before he was tested.He said it was his third test on the island and the experience was “pretty good”.Arun Gomatam, from Washington, agreed that testing procedures were “fine”. A Ministry of Health spokeswoman said yesterday that waiting times could be more than half an hour. She added that if someone arrived before their allotted testing time, they could be queuing for longer.The spokeswoman said: “User satisfaction is being measured and the feedback has been extremely positive. “Persons understand that there can be a short wait to keep Bermuda safe.”Health minister Kim Wilson said last night: “The Ministry of Health would like to commend members of the Ministry of Health testing teams at the six testing locations for all of their hard work and dedication over the past few months as they work to keep Bermuda safe throughout this pandemic.“They provide an essential service to the country and what they have managed to achieve in a short amount of time is certainly a testament to their efforts.”User satisfaction booths introduced last Thursday at the airport and at Perot Post Office, which opened as a test centre for travellers on August 5, let people select a red, yellow or green “smiley face” to reflect their testing experience.The ministry spokeswoman added: “Results so far have been very encouraging. “The Perot Post Office testing site has a 93.4 per cent high — green smiley face — satisfaction rate while the airport testing site has a 93.2 per cent high satisfaction rate.”

Right direction: a busy time for the permanent Covid-19 testing site as approximately 50 travellers patiently queued at the Perot Post Office on Queen Street (Photograph by Akil Simmons)
The permanent Covid-19 testing site for travellers in Hamilton yesterday at the Perot Post Office on Queen Street (Photograph by Akil Simmons)
The permanent Covid-19 testing site for travellers in Hamilton yesterday at the Perot Post Office on Queen Street (Photograph by Akil Simmons)
The permanent Covid-19 testing site for travellers in Hamilton yesterday at the Perot Post Office on Queen Street (Photograph by Akil Simmons)
The permanent Covid-19 testing site for travellers in Hamilton yesterday at the Perot Post Office on Queen Street (Photograph by Akil Simmons)
The permanent Covid-19 testing site for travellers in Hamilton yesterday at the Perot Post Office on Queen Street (Photograph by Akil Simmons)
The permanent Covid-19 testing site for travellers in Hamilton yesterday at the Perot Post Office on Queen Street (Photograph by Akil Simmons)
The permanent Covid-19 testing site for travellers in Hamilton yesterday at the Perot Post Office on Queen Street (Photograph by Akil Simmons)
The permanent Covid-19 testing site for travellers in Hamilton yesterday at the Perot Post Office on Queen Street (Photograph by Akil Simmons)
The permanent Covid-19 testing site for travellers in Hamilton yesterday at the Perot Post Office on Queen Street (Photograph by Akil Simmons)