Free Coronavirus Testing Available In City Of University Place On August 4

Press release from the City of University Place:

August 4, 2020

On Tuesday, Aug. 4, West Pierce Fire & Rescue and the City of University Place will team up to host a free mobile COVID-19 testing site at the old City Hall location in Windmill Village from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. It is expected that up to 500 tests can be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis over the six-hour period.

There will be walk-up and drive-through testing and, although appointments are not required, safety is paramount so numerous measures will be in place to ensure the tests can be completed without risk to anyone. These measures include:

• Social distancing of walk-up testers will be enforced, and each walk-up will be given a mask.
• Pierce County Emergency Management is providing self-contained trailers (for bio waste and test swabs).
• All testing personnel will be outfitted with personal protective equipment (PPE), including gloves, masks and face shields.

The test swabs will be taken to a local lab, with results available within five to seven days and shared with the individual. If the test was at the bequest of a person’s employer, the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department will contact the employer to share the results with the employee.

These free tests are being offered through a partnership between the Pierce County Department of Emergency Management and with volunteers from the West Pierce Fire & Rescue that have been trained through the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) program.

About the Testing Trailers - CARES Act funds received by Pierce County paid for the trailers. For a list of planned mobile testing sites, visit the Pierce County website.

If you plan to come to the testing site please review the frequently asked questions and enter via the 40th Street roundabout. View the map on the right.

This press release was produced by the City of University Place. The views expressed here are the author’s own.