A coronavirus testing site in Virginia opened Monday to cater to people seeking tests after work.
Cars lined up in the parking lot of the SplashDown Water Park in Prince William County for one of the most important phases of the battle against the spread of COVID-19.
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“We got some feedback back from the public where, you know, people really wanted to see testing events later after work to reach the working population,” Prince William County Emergency Preparedness and Response Coordinator Amanda David said.
The site was chosen for night testing for its proximity to COVID-19 hotspots and the practical feature of having enough space to facilitate hundreds of cars.
It opened at 4:30 p.m. By about 6:30 p.m., 200 tests had been administered.
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The Virginia Air National Guard is helping. The tests go to the state lab.
“People should be able to expect results in about five to 10 days,” David said.
We got some feedback back from the public where, you know, people really wanted to see testing events later after work to reach the working population.
Prince William County Emergency Preparedness and Response Coordinator Amanda David
People who live or workin Prince William County, the City of Manassas or the City of Manassas Park will be able to go to sites like this.
When a vaccine is ready to be administered, they’ll use the same process.
“Utilizing the tents and the heaters, especially during the winter, we wanted to see how using this site will work for that,” David said.
While there’s no set date for the vaccine be administered to the public, officials have been planning for it since early fall.
The county will carry out planned testing at its usual sites. There will be a notice issued once plans for more night testing are finalized.
