Prairie State Wire

Illinois Emergency Management Agency issued the following announcement on April 22.

The State of Illinois is announcing two additional Community-Based Testing Sites (CBTS) are opening to the public this week to help test Illinoisans for COVID-19. These new sites will open this week in Aurora (Wednesday) and Rockford (Friday). Illinois Community-Based Testing Sites are open seven days a week to test individuals with COVID-19 symptoms.

"Greater testing capacity is needed so that healthcare workers, first responders and those who continue to be on the job can be tested before they unknowingly spread the virus to others," said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. "Testing is essential to identify those who is infected. More testing will help us end this pandemic sooner."

Who can be tested

-All individuals *with* symptoms

Definition of Symptoms

-Cough or Shortness of breath

-Fever

Community Based Testing Sites

Harwood Heights	Bloomington	Markham	Aurora	Rockford (opens 4/24)
7:00 - 3:00 or while daily supplies last	9:00 - 5:00 or while daily supplies last	8:00 - 4:00 or while daily supplies last	8:00 - 4:00 or while daily supplies last	8:00 - 4:00 or while daily supplies last
6959 W. Forest Preserve Road Chicago IL	1106 Interstate Drive Bloomington IL	3824 W.159th Place Markham IL	1650 Premium Outlet Blvd Aurora IL	1601 Parkview Avenue Rockford IL

"Increased testing capacity will benefit us all," said Barbara Jeffers, Executive Director of the Kane County Health Department.

"Through a collaborative effort with federal, state, and local partners, the Northern Illinois Rockford Region will have increased access to COVID-19 testing," said Dr. Sandra Martell, Public Health Administrator at the Winnebago County Health Department. "Expansion of testing will provide information on the prevalence of the infection in our communities and provide opportunities for aggressive contact tracing by local health departments and partners. It is through widespread testing, that we will be able to better plan for recovery."

Before You Go

Anyone who will be tested must be seated at a functioning window. Once you get in line at the CBTS, you will not be permitted to exit your car. For the safety of the testing personnel, the drive-thru sites will not be able to accommodate walk-up individuals. Individuals must arrive in a vehicle.

While this is a free service, you will be asked to show 1) photo identification and 2) healthcare employee or first responder ID/badge, if applicable.

Due to the demand for this service, we anticipate there could be significant wait times associated with these drive-thru community-based testing sites. Please be patient. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, you are urged to call your doctor or emergency department to seek immediate care and instructions.

Dozens of additional commercial testing sites are also available throughout the state further adding to the state's testing capacity. For the most up-to-date list of these sites, visit https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/testing-sites. There residents can also find information on eligibility for testing and contact information for each testing site.

For additional information related to COVID-19, please visit www.dph.illinois.gov You can also get your COVID-19 questions answered at any time of day by calling the COVID-19 hotline at 1-800-889-3931. You can also email you questions to DPH.Sick@Illinois.gov.

Original source can be found here.