Do you work in Johnson County? You can get free COVID-19 test. Here’s what to expect
Johnson County health officials are offering free COVID-19 testing this week to anyone who works in the county, as well as residents.
They’ll administer drive-thru testing from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at the College Boulevard Activity Center, 11031 S. Valley Road in Olathe. It is first-come, first-served while supplies last.
You do not have to have coronavirus symptoms to be tested, but you must be 18 or older. Previously, the county offered the free testing only for residents.
“We are pleased to expand testing to those who work in Johnson County,” Sanmi Areola, director of the county’s Department of Health and Environment, said in a statement. “If we can find and isolate those positive cases now, we can avoid further spread of infection in our workplaces and keep people working,”
This is the department’s sixth community testing event. At the last one, on May 29, the department said it found nine positive cases among 953 people tested.
The lines grow quickly for these events. On May 29 people showed up at 6:30 a.m. for testing that began at 9. People who got in line after 9:30 a.m. waited more than three hours. Police occasionally counted cars in the line, presumably to know where to end it.
A few tips from those who have been: Have a full tank of gas, and an empty bladder because there are no bathroom facilities.
Traffic should enter off College Boulevard and Lone Elm Road and follow the signs. The later you get there the more likely you’ll sit in a long line on College.
You’re asked to bring a driver’s license, but it’s not required to be tested. The department also asks that you leave pets at home.
More volunteers and two extra testing stations are being added this week to meet the demand and shorten the wait time, the department said.
You never get out of your car. You’ll be directed to a testing station in the parking lot and a worker will push a swab into one of your nostrils to take a quick sample. You’ll get the results within a week.
“The data from these testing clinics is trending in the right direction, but the virus is still out there,” Areola said. “It’s important that everyone continue to stay 6-feet from others, wear a mask in public and avoid large crowds.”
For more information, go to jocogov.org/coronavirus.
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