Walmart, a federal health contractor and the state are partnering to bring a new drive-through coronavirus testing service to sites in South, central and east Georgia.
Gov. Brian Kemp’s office on Sunday announced Walmart and contractor eTrueNorth will operate drive-through testing sites that will rotate between the cities of Tifton, Milledgeville and Hephzibah, a small town near Augusta.
“Serving Augusta, Milledgeville, Tifton, and the surrounding regions, this mobile unit will be a game-changing step in our efforts to ensure access to COVID-19 across Georgia,” Kemp said in a news release. “Increased testing is critical as we continue the measured process of safely reopening parts of our state, and I am grateful to our many partners with Walmart, eTrueNorth, and in these communities which provided support to get this operation online.”
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The test site will launch Monday at Diamond Lakes Regional Park, 4335 Windsor Spring Road in Hephzibah. Weather permitting, it will operate Mondays and Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
On Wednesdays and Saturdays, it will operate from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 240 Lawrence Rd. in Milledgeville.
On Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., it will operate at the Tift County National Guard Armory at 3111 U.S. 41 South, in Tifton.
Georgians experiencing COVID-19 symptoms can get a test with an appointment. First responders and health care workers can receive a test with an appointment whether or not they are experiencing symptoms, the release said.
An appointment for a test can be made at www.DoINeedACOVID19Test.com.
Kemp has made it a priority to expand testing in Georgia, which has lagged behind many other states in testing on a per capita basis. Public health experts say Georgia and other states need a substantial ramp up in testing to help isolate the virus and future outbreaks.
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