Windsor Regional Hospital is expending the hours of operation at its COVID-19 assessment centre at its Ouellette Campus.
It is in response to what the hospital calls "consistently high volumes of individuals seeking a swab test for the virus."
Starting this Saturday, it will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekend, and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays.
Windsor Regional has adjusted the hours at the assessment centre periodically throughout the pandemic to reflect ebbs and flows in volumes. They were extended in May when a record-breaking number of people came out for testing and scaled back on June 4 because of a significant drop in visitors.
More recently, it has had to turn some individuals away because there were not enough staff to handle the number of people who came.
Weekday volumes have been at least 260 daily since June 30.
Those scheduled for surgery or who wish to visit a loved one in a long-term care or retirement home are required to get tested.
So far, 14,256 people have come to the centre since it opened on March 16, and more than 95 per cent of them were tested.
Visitors do not need a referral from Telehealth Ontario, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, or their primary care provider to get a test. It is open to everyone.