Richmond Co. Crest; Jack Morse/CIGO news
Local councillors are expressing their concerns about access to COVID-19 testing in their communities.
Richmond Co. council voted to send a letter to provincial officials at April’s regular council meeting Monday evening.
Warden Amanda Mombourquette says there are few opportunities for asymptomatic testing in the municipality.
“With numbers on the rise, and now with Dr. Strang asking people not to travel out of their community for testing, many people are at a loss as to how they can be tested,” she says. “Especially if they’ve had to leave the community for valid reasons, such as medical, legal, or educational.”
Mombourquette says those new rules make it harder for people in Richmond Co.
She says it wasn’t easy in the first place.
“Even without the travel restriction in place, having to drive to Sydney, Antigonish, or Baddeck was a significant barrier to many seniors and for people without access to transportation.”
Mombourquette says they’re concerned about local access to testing sites and an apparent lack of communication about when and where the sites will be.
She says they want more testing available locally.
