Orléans residents who need to get tested for the COVID-19 virus will be able to do so at the Ray Friel Recreation Complex starting tomorrow, Monday, Oct. 19.

The Montfort Hospital and Ottawa Pubic Health recently finished converting Rink # 3 at the Ray Friel Complex into a testing and assessment facility which will officially open at noon and remain open until 3:30 p.m. After tomorrow, the facility will operate from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday by appointment only.

You can book an appointment online 24 to 48 hours prior to the appointment day. There will be two options for the visit:

• Test only: For people with mild symptoms who only need to be tested.
• Assessment by a doctor and test: For people who need to see a doctor because of pressure or discomfort in the chest, difficulty breathing or a sore throat.

Final preparations have been made to the Ray Friel COVID-19 testing and assessment centre, which will open by appointment only at noon on Monday. PHOTO SUPPLIED

According to the Montfort Hospital, the centre will be used to screen residents for the novel coronavirus and assess individuals with symptoms of respiratory illnesses, such as a coughs, fevers, and cold-like symptoms that cannot be managed at home.

The city and Ottawa Public Health have taken several measures to isolate the assessment and tesing facility from the rest of the recreation complex including...

• Testing centre visitors will enter and exit the arena from the southeast side of the building, with one set of doors dedicated to entering and another to exiting.
• A newly constructed wall in the arena vestibule area that separates entrances to Rink 3 from Rink 2.
• A new and separate heating and ventilation system has been installed to serve only the care centre. One of the Rink 3 change rooms will serve as a dedicated washroom for test centre visitors.
• A separate company has been contracted to solely clean the care centre in Rink 3
• Rink 3 will be secured from the lobby and it's only accessible by a card scanner.
• Hôpital Montfort staff, who are operating the clinic, will have the other Rink 3 change room as their designated washroom facility.
• If you are in the recreation centre, do not be concerned if you meet medical staff in the Rink 2 vestibule area. While in the actual test centre, clinic staff are fully outfitted with personal protective equipment, and they clean and sanitize before entering another location.

Parking and traffic controls include:

• Extended external wayfinding signs that clearly direct people to the testing centre.
• Dedicated parking lots and separate vehicle entrances for those coming for COVID-19 testing.
• City staff and contractors managing traffic flow in the parking lot.
• Parking signage to further enhance traffic flow in the parking area.

(This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local business partners.)