Ontario’s assessment centres will no longer offer walk-in COVID-19 testing as of Oct. 4; they will adopt an appointment-only model on Oct. 6.

The announcement by the provincial government comes on a record-breaking day for newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ontario, with the province recording 732 new infections on Oct. 2. The change is meant to reduce testing turnaround times while prioritizing people who are most at risk of contracting the virus. 

“The modelling we released this week demonstrates the absolute necessity to take action now to reverse current trends and protect our hospital capacity,” Premier Doug Ford said in a media release.

Beginning on Oct. 4, assessment centres will discontinue walk-in testing for people who have been exposed to COVID-19 or are displaying symptoms. Although the new appointment-based model will not officially take effect until Oct. 6, any appointments already scheduled to take place between Oct. 4 and Oct. 6 will continue as scheduled. A statement by the provincial government said the two-day buffer between the end of the walk-in model and the beginning of the appointment-based model will allow assessment centres time to reset, deep clean and prepare for the new model. 

Mobile testing and pop-up testing centres will continue to provide targeted testing for vulnerable populations including people living and working in long-term care and congregate care settings.

The province will also expand the number of pharmacies offering testing to asymptomatic Ontarians. , Ontario’s associate chief medical officer of health, Dr. Barbara Yaffe, instructed assessment centres to stop testing people who are asymptomatic and who have not been exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19. Instead, asymptomatic Ontarians can currently request free COVID-19 tests at across the province. 

“With the upcoming flu and cold season approaching, we need to ensure Ontario’s publicly funded testing resources are available for those who need them the most,” Yaffe said in a media release on Sept. 24. “That’s why … I have recommended Ontario update testing guidelines to prioritize those who are at the greatest risk while shifting away from untargeted asymptomatic testing.”

By mid October, the provincial government aims to have reached a testing and processing capacity of 50,000 tests per day. It hopes to reach 68,000 tests per day by mid November.