COVID-19 drive-thru testing site to open at Walmart in LaGrange

Published 3:56 pm Sunday, May 31, 2020

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A COVID-19 drive-thru testing site will open Friday, June 5 in the parking lot of the Walmart store located at 803 New Franklin Road in LaGrange, according to a press release from the City of LaGrange.

The testing site is supported by Walmart, Quest Diagnostics, as well as state and local officials. The free testing is for adults (18+) who meet CDC and state and local guidelines who should be tested, including first responders, health care providers, others with symptoms of COVID-19 and those in high-risk groups without symptoms. The press release notes that testing is not available inside Walmart stores.

“Walmart is part of the community, and we are proud to help support the expansion of COVID-19 testing in LaGrange during this unprecedented time,” said Glen Wilkins, Walmart Public Affairs Director for Georgia. “We are grateful to our associates who keep our stores running, our pharmacists who support these testing sites, and to Quest Diagnostics and local officials as we work together to open the site and help our community.”

The testing site will be open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., weather permitting. The test site will require an appointment through Quest’s MyQuest online portal www.MyQuestCOVIDTest.com, which will screen and schedule appointments for those individuals that meet medical eligibility for the testing sites.

Once on site, those being tested will need to wear a mask and stay in their cars for verification of eligibility criteria, ID check and self-administered test. For the safety of all those on-site, the test site is not available to those who walk up.

The site will use a self-administered nasal swab test that will allow those being tested to swab their own nose onsite while in their vehicles, observed by a trained medical volunteer to ensure the sample is taken correctly, and drop the sealed sample into a container on their way out of the drive-thru site.

According to the press release, Quest Diagnostics will handle processing test samples and communicating results to those tested and applicable departments of health. For questions regarding testing and appointments, call Quest’s dedicated COVID-19 line at (866) 448-7719, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The site will be staffed by Walmart pharmacists and associates. While individuals who are tested are awaiting results, everyone is asked to follow CDC guidelines and take steps to help prevent the virus from spreading to people in your home and community.