A Nelson woman who was at a market with people from a coronavirus-affected cattle conference in Queenstown, is angry she was turned away from testing despite having a fever and other symptoms.

On Wednesday, Healthline told the woman she needed to get tested for Covid-19, but staff at two testing sites in Queenstown told her she didn't fit the criteria.

The woman, who didn't want to be named, travelled from her hometown of Nelson, arriving in Queenstown on March 13.

She called Healthline on Wednesday, after her dry cough and sore throat developed into a fever on Tuesday, reaching 39.5 degrees on Tuesday night.

READ MORE:

* Coronavirus: Test swabs cause 'sharp' pain but temporary, woman says

* Coronavirus: Eighth case confirmed in New Zealand

* Coronavirus: Queenstown woman is New Zealand's eighth case

She said a registered nurse called her back, and told her she should be tested.

"The nurse was really lovely, and she was like 'yep, you really need to get tested, you sound really unwell'.

BRADEN FASTIER / STUFF Health professionals asses patients at the Covid-19 community based assessment centre in Tahunanui, Nelson.

"She gave me a real sense of confidence, like 'we'll make sure you get testing, you're definitely going to get tested, it's all going to be fine'."

The nurse said she only had details for Dunedin and Invercargill, so gave the woman the number for Queenstown Medical Centre.

The centre told the woman to go to Lake Hayes Pavillion, about three kilometres from the Shotover River.

But when she got there, the woman said staff told her she would not be tested as she hadn't travelled overseas in the past 14 days, or been in close proximity with a confirmed case.

"They make you stand outside, put on a mask, question you, and then say 'no, you can't come in because you don't meet the criteria for testing'.

"I couldn't see round the whole building as it's all been set up as a testing centre, but there definitely were at least 10 staff... all kind of standing around fully geared up."

The woman said she didn't see anyone else arriving for testing while she was there.

Staff told her to go to Queenstown Medical Centre, who then told her she also didn't meet the criteria, and said they had turned away nearly 10 people on that day alone.

The woman said she told staff she had been at the Remarkables Market, a weekly farmer's market in Frankton, at the same time as the people from an international cattle conference, where people subsequently tested positive for Covid-19.

BRADEN FASTIER/STUFF Health professionals test patients at the Covid-19 community based assessment centre in Tahunanui, Nelson.

It "seemed ridiculous" for government and media reports to say most cases were related to international travel, she said.

"If we're only testing people who have travelled, then of course you're only going to find people that are testing positive that have travelled overseas.

"It's three hours of my life that I wish I hadn't bothered with. I was trying to do the right thing. I could have looked after myself instead of driving across town."

The woman was among three adults and five children in a four bedroom home, and had been trying to stay away from them as much as possible.

While she felt she would be fine, with her temperature on Thursday falling to 36 degrees, she was worried about who she had been in contact with.

"It's annoying also not knowing for certain. I haven't had a flu for three years, I haven't actually gotten sick."

The Southern District Health Board has been approached for comment.

Meanwhile a woman referred by her doctor for Covid-19 assessment in Nelson has also been denied the test.

The woman, 30, contacted her doctor after experiencing a high fever and dry cough on Wednesday night, Nelson MP Nick Smith said.

Her doctor concluded it was likely the woman had Covid-19 and referred her to the Nelson assessment centre in the former Suburban Club building on Tahunanui Drive.

However, after she was taken inside the centre on Thursday afternoon, the woman was not tested, Smith said.

The woman was told she was a probable case but she was not in a high-risk group and there were not enough tests.

"If there is a shortage of testing kits, we need the authorities to be open with that information," Smith said. "If probable cases are not being tested, the health board and Government should be open about that."

The sign at the Covid-19 community based assessment centre in Tahunanui, Nelson

A spokeswoman for Nelson Marlborough Health said in the top of the south there was no evidence of community transmission.

People who attended community testing clinics were being screened and Coronavirus tests were only being given to those who meet certain criteria. They had to have travelled or been in contact with someone who has the virus and had Coronavirus symptoms.

It was the start of the cold and flu season and it was understandable that there were a lot of people wanting to be tested and who were concerned when they were not.

"People are strongly encouraged to see if they need to be tested at a CBAC. There is capacity to be tested and enough tests."

In Nelson on Wednesday 40 people were screened and only eight people met the criteria and had swabs taken. In Motueka 10 people had been screened and only one tested.