From hopeful holidaymakers to close contacts, thousands of people are sleeping in cars and queuing in the pre-dawn dark to get PCR tests across the state.
In parts of regional NSW, people are queuing for tests as early as 4am. Some are sleeping in their cars overnight.
Coffs Harbour, a major stop on the Pacific Highway between Brisbane and Sydney, has seen demand soar for COVID-19 tests.She was among those who got to a testing clinic in Grafton before 8.30am when security began turning people away."We waited and waited and waited. We were all sunburnt, dehydrated," she said.
She said most tests had been done on people planning to travel interstate for holidays.
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