Neighborhood-based COVID-19 testing coming to Northshore parishes

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BATON ROUGE- Starting Tuesday, May 26, mobile testing sites will begin targeting neighborhoods on the Northshore.

The Louisiana National Guard will bring more testing kits to residents of St. Tammany, Washington, Livingston, Tangipahoa, and St. Helena Parishes. The mobile testing centers will be placed at churches, schools, retail stores, parks and other neighborhood locations, according to LDH.

Testing will last for four weeks, through June 19, 2020.

Testing Dates and Sites:

Test Site Details:

- The sites, which will be staffed by members of the Louisiana National Guard, are open for a period of five days per week. Because of the Memorial Day holiday, the first week will start Tuesday, May 26 and run through Saturday, May 30. Thereafter, the schedule starting June 1 will be Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to approximately 11 a.m.

- Testing is for open for any Louisiana resident 18 years of age and older with valid Louisiana identification.

- The testing site will be conducted as a drive-thru test site.

- 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. Walk-up testing is not preferred due to safety concerns, but walk-ups will not be turned away.

- The site will use a self-administered nasal swab test that will allow those being tested to swab their own nose on site 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.

- Once received, the Office of Public Health will contact those who were tested to communicate their results and share any necessary information.

- While awaiting results, individuals who have been tested should follow CDC guidelines and take steps to help prevent the virus from spreading to people in their home and community.