The Canterbury District Health Board is establishing hubs around the region after the first case of the virus was confirmed in the South Island earlier this week - a tourist who landed at Christchurch Airport before driving a rental car to Queenstown.
Canterbury chief medical officer of health Sue Nightingale said while the exact location of the city's hub can't be confirmed yet, it will be close to Christchurch Hospital and should open on Wednesday.
"The testing facility will be located close to Christchurch Hospital and will be staffed by general practice staff," Dr Nightingale said.
"Testing carried out in our first centre will be on referral from General Practice and Christchurch Hospital’s Emergency Department.
"Community Based Testing Centres are established to provide increased testing capacity during infectious disease pandemics.
"They form part of a pandemic response and there are a number of forms they make take, either in buildings or as mobile clinics.
"In Canterbury we are working to establish our first clinic this week, which will then be followed by other facilities across the community as required.
"We also already have testing capacity in Canterbury outside of a dedicated clinic and have the capacity to develop mobile services as required.
"As occurs now, anyone with Covid-19 will be provided with advice on managing their condition based on the symptoms they are experiencing, and on self-isolation if they are asymptomatic or if their symptoms are mild.
"They will also receive advice on what danger signs to look for and what to do if their condition worsens. Most people will be able to stay at home safely while they recover."
