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NEWS<br />
6 <strong>Ashburton</strong> <strong>Courier</strong>, <strong>August</strong> <strong>20</strong>, <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
Local covid testing continues<br />
LINDA.CLARKE<br />
@ashburtoncourier.co.nz<br />
<strong>Ashburton</strong>’s covid testing<br />
station at <strong>Ashburton</strong> Hospital<br />
will continuetoopenfor free<br />
testing of peoplewith covid<br />
symptoms.<br />
The drivein stationtested<br />
atotal of 248 people between<br />
last Thursday and Tuesday,<br />
and will be open today,<br />
Friday and Saturday. From<br />
nextweek awalkin testing<br />
facility willoperatethree<br />
days aweek.<br />
Around the country,record<br />
numbers of peoplehave been<br />
tested for Covid19 as health<br />
authorities track and trace<br />
more than 1000 contacts of<br />
positive cases connected to<br />
one Auckland cluster.<br />
<strong>Ashburton</strong>GPSarah<br />
Clarke said local GPswould<br />
betestingtoo. ‘‘I think New<br />
Zealandwill need to keep up<br />
goodrates of testingand this<br />
episodehasbeenareminder<br />
to us all that if we get<br />
symptoms consistent with<br />
Covid19, we should get a<br />
test.’’<br />
AucklandisinAlert Level3<br />
while the rest of thecountry<br />
is in AlertLevel 2. People in<br />
Mid Canterbury are being<br />
remindedtopractise social<br />
distancingand good hand<br />
hygiene;gatherings of more<br />
than 100indefined spaces<br />
are banned.<br />
<strong>Ashburton</strong>’s communitybased<br />
testingstation tested<br />
72 people on Thursday, 78 on<br />
Friday and 39 on Saturday.<br />
On Monday, 42 people were<br />
tested and on Tuesday17<br />
were tested.<br />
While there were delayson<br />
DOCKS areoffering a<br />
varietyoffresh fish<br />
and seafood dishes<br />
Aspecial lunch offer is available to the Gold<br />
Card holders on Fridays,Saturdays and<br />
Sundays 12 pm –2pm.<br />
(Menu depends on fresh daily catch).<br />
Awalkin testing station will operate next week.<br />
the firstday, with traffic<br />
backedupand 90minute<br />
waits for some, waittimeon<br />
Friday was down to aminute<br />
for mostand on Saturday<br />
people were seenassoon as<br />
they arrived.<br />
There wasnosign of the<br />
bad behaviour and verbal<br />
abuse reported at other<br />
testingstations.<br />
Dr Clarke said peoplewere<br />
polite andwanted to do the<br />
right thing by being tested to<br />
ruleout anychancethe virus<br />
had not spread from the<br />
Auckland clusterand was in<br />
MidCanterbury.<br />
DOCKS<br />
BAR &SEAFOOD GRILL<br />
We look forward to seeing youatDOCKS!<br />
90-92 Harrison Street,Allenton, <strong>Ashburton</strong><br />
(oppositeAllentonShopping Mall). Tel03423 21 66<br />
OPENING HOURS: Tuesday–Thursday from 5pmtill late<br />
(mealservicefrom5pmtill 9pm)<br />
Friday–Sunday from 12 pm till late<br />
(meal servicefrom12pmto2pmand from 5pmtill 9pm)<br />
Monday–closed.<br />
“We are also hoping the<br />
cluster is contained of course<br />
andthe quickest way we can<br />
findthis outistotest lotsof<br />
peoplewith symptoms.”<br />
Symptoms (with or without<br />
fever) include acough, sore<br />
throat, head cold(runny<br />
nose/sneezing), shortness of<br />
breath,loss of smell or taste.<br />
Testing forthe rest of this<br />
week will be from from10am<br />
until 2pmeachday.Access is<br />
fromhospitalgate 4which<br />
can be entered via Elizabeth<br />
Street from Oak Grove end;<br />
peopleshould stay in their<br />
car. the walkin facility is<br />
2304826<br />
also accessed at gate 4.<br />
Those with symptomsbut<br />
who can’t attend the testing<br />
stationshould call their GP<br />
or Healthlinefor advice.<br />
Health minister Chris<br />
Hipkins has told businesses<br />
to downloadthe QR poster<br />
and Kiwisshoulduse theNZ<br />
covid tracer apptokeep<br />
track of their movements.<br />
About 1.5 million peopleare<br />
already registered users and<br />
posterscans are increasing<br />
daily.<br />
Businesses notdisplaying<br />
QR posters prominently risk<br />
penalty.<br />
Terrace Downs<br />
to be auctioned<br />
Terrace Downs Golf Resort is to be auctioned<br />
following thedeathofits owner in Japan from<br />
Covid19.<br />
The golfresort, undershadowof the Southern<br />
Alpsonthe banks of the Rakaia River,was bought<br />
by Japaneseinvestor HiroshiHasegawa in <strong>20</strong>12<br />
after he wasgiven the goahead bythe Overseas<br />
Investment Office.<br />
Hasegawa, who hadturned the resort into a<br />
globally recognised luxurygolf and adventure<br />
destination, died aged 59 in April after becoming<br />
ill with Covid19. His estate is now selling the<br />
resort.<br />
Tim Rookes, managing directorofCBRE<br />
Christchurch, and WarrenHutt, senior director of<br />
capitalmarkets, CBRE Auckland, aremarketing<br />
the property on behalf ofHasegawa'sestate, with<br />
the auction set to take place on September 17in<br />
Christchurch. In addition to the course, the resort<br />
also features alargeclub house.<br />
www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz<br />
CBD<br />
buildings<br />
in focus<br />
MBIE has cancelled its visittoMid<br />
Canterbury this weektolookat<br />
earthquake prone buildingsin<br />
<strong>Ashburton</strong>’s CBD.<br />
The Ministry of Business,<br />
Innovation and Employment willnow<br />
link up with <strong>Ashburton</strong> District<br />
Councilbuildingand planning staff<br />
via Zoom.<br />
MBIE is monitoringcouncil’s<br />
progress on identifyingpotentially<br />
earthquake prone buildings and a<br />
team hadalso planned to takealook<br />
at the CBD to get abetter<br />
understanding of the local<br />
environment.<br />
TheCBD is in astate of makeover.<br />
Councilisnearly halfway through a<br />
twoyear beautification project<br />
involving new roads andfootpaths;<br />
someold buildingsare also being<br />
demolished and newones are being<br />
build or under construction.<br />
Twoyears agocouncil had 130<br />
buildingsonits booksthat needed<br />
remedial work to moveoff the<br />
earthquakepronebuildings register.<br />
Placardswere sentfor building<br />
owners to display; those not<br />
displaying the placards face$1000<br />
fines.<br />
Council strategy and compliance<br />
managerJaneDonaldson said most of<br />
the buildingowners had plansand<br />
about 55 buildingswere leftrequiring<br />
strengtheningwork.<br />
An audit earlierthisyear identified<br />
13 buildings with no visibleplacards.<br />
New placardswere sent, followedby<br />
anothersite visit. Five buildingsare<br />
stillnot displaying placards and those<br />
building owners face infringement<br />
notices and fines.<br />
Underearthquakeprone building<br />
rules, building ownershave 25 years<br />
from the day of assessment to<br />
strengthen their buildings.Thosewho<br />
do nothing could end up in court.<br />
The buildingsare not considered<br />
any moredangerous than theywere<br />
before beingidentified, but the<br />
processisabout shoring themuptobe<br />
as safe as possibleduringfuture<br />
earthquakes.<br />
Cr Leen Braamaskedatacouncil<br />
meetingrecently if therewas<br />
anythingcouncil could do to<br />
encouragelandlordsorproperty<br />
ownerstodeal with buildingsthat<br />
needed attention.<br />
Buildingservicesmanager Michael<br />
Wong saidbuildingswith earthquake<br />
prone notices had adeadline and if<br />
ownersdid notmeetthe deadline<br />
council, by law, hadtotakethem to<br />
court to decide what to do, be it<br />
demolition, strengtheningor<br />
boardingthe place over.<br />
He saidhehad questionsfor MBIE,<br />
like what if buildingownershad plans<br />
drawn but could now not get money<br />
from the bank to strengthen the<br />
building.<br />
171ALFORD FOREST ROAD,ASHBURTON<br />
0800 86 22 44<br />
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