New community COVID-19 drive-thru testing site to open in Eau Claire

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - A new community COVID-19 drive-thru testing site is opening in Eau Claire.

The new site will be located in the Chippewa Valley Technical College parking lot at 615 West Clairemont Avenue and will be open Tuesdays through Fridays 2-6 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. through 2 p.m. and begins service on Tuesday, July 26.

“With a higher number of cases in our community, we want to make getting a test as easy as possible,” Lieske Giese, Eau Claire City-County Health Department Director, said. “If you have symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19, please get a test.”

PCR tests will be available for anyone over the age of 2 and take-home rapid antigen tests will be available for anyone over the age of 2. Appointments aren’t required but people will be asked to register in advance or at the testing site. Other testing sites are also available. Anyone under the age of 18 will need a parent or guardian to consent to the testing.

Anyone with questions about the community testing site can call the Health Department at 715-839-4718. People are asked not to contact CVTC about the testing site.

On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention included Eau Claire County among 16 counties in Wisconsin with high COVID-19 community levels. The Health Department said Thursday that masking indoors is strongly recommended.

correction: A previous version of this article indicated people ages 1 and over could get a PCR test; a corrected release from the Eau Claire City-County Health Department revised the eligibility for PCR testing to people ages 2 and over.

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