NSW’s Chief Health Officer has clarified areas listed on the NSW Health website for “increased testing” are not necessarily COVID-19 hotspots.

A listener contacted Jim Wilson to raise the question as to why some areas for “increased testing” were being classified by some as hot spot areas.

Dr Kerry Chant explained it means health authorities encourage people in those areas to get tested if they have symptoms.

“What we identify is local government areas where we want increased testing to occur,” she said.

“And that’s because we are concerned there’s either been venues in that local government area where a number of people have been exposed, or where there is a background rate of those locally acquired cases where we don’t know a source.

“The rate of COVID in NSW is still low, but we are using [it] in that way to encourage people to come forward for testing.”

Press PLAY to hear the full interview

Image: Getty