COVID-19: Staffers caught 'duelling' outside testing centre in Henderson, west Auckland

When there's not an ongoing procession of people queuing for a COVID-19 test, what else is there for staffers to do during downtime - other than duel.

Two workers have been captured 'duelling' with what appear to be poles outside the Waipareira Trust's Whānau House testing centre in Henderson, west Auckland, with the footage later shared to social media.

In the Facebook community group 'You Know You're in West Auckland When…', a local uploaded the amusing clip with the caption, "guys at the testing station must get bored".

"Anyone who's been tested at that station knows its vibes there," one person commented.

Others praised the workers for brightening up the proceedings and not letting the ongoing lockdown dampen their spirits.

"Gives everyone something to look at… keeps the people entertained while they queue," one wrote.

"Glad to see them having fun," said another.

"Nothing wrong with having fun at work," a third chipped in.

It comes as Auckland enters its third week in lockdown, with 15 days under its belt so far. The region will endure an additional two weeks under alert level 4 restrictions as the epicentre of the current outbreak.

Testing rates have been particularly high in the city, which lead to complaints over the length of lines in the first week. A number of Aucklanders reported up to eight-hour queues in the first few days of lockdown as people swarmed testing stations in their droves, leading to significant congestion in several communities. Some were even turned away after hours of waiting as clinics approached closing time.

As well as the Whānau House station in Henderson, there are five other community testing centres currently open in Auckland. These are in Northcote, Balmoral, New Lynn, Wiri and Otara.

There are also an additional 16 pop-up testing centres across the region. You can find your nearest testing site here.