Marton's Stewart Street Surgery and Bulls Medical Centre will now assess and swab people in the Rangitikei District for Covid-19.
Previously people have been tested at the community-based assessment centre (CBAC) in Blackwell St in Marton but the decision has been made to divert the testing and the centre is closed from today .
Whanganui Emergency Operations Centre controller Stuart Hylton said reverting the testing to a general practice makes more sense because testing numbers at the CBAC were relatively low.
"We still want people with Covid-19 symptoms to be assessed and potentially swabbed, in line with the Ministry of Health's direction to increase swabbing numbers in the Whanganui region," Hylton said.
"Accessing swabbing from two locations in the Rangitikei district improves people's access to getting swabbed when they need to be."
The EOC thanked health workers at the Marton CBAC for their dedication to making the community feel more at ease during an uncertain time.
It is expected that a "pop up" CBAC service will be delivered by CBAC staff and the Te Kotuku Hauora team at their facility this week.
The five other CBACs currently operating will continue to assess and test people for Covid-19 in the Whanganui and Waimarino districts.
• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website
“Relying on overseas doctors to fill our rural workforce gaps is not sustainable."