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Community COVID-19 testing starts today

Local, state health officials encourage residents to get tested

Photo by Deb Gau Germaine Grueneberg brought out some of the signs being posted around the Red Baron Arena and Expo in preparation for a community COVID-19 testing event. The Minnesota Department of Health is partnering with communities around Minnesota to hold free testing events.

MARSHALL — State and local health workers are gearing up for another COVID-19 testing event in Marshall, and organizers say they hope lots of people participate. There’s a lot at stake in trying to contain the spread of the virus.

“We just really want people to come out. We want the economy to stay open, we want kids to stay in school,” said Katie Knutson, state incident commander for the Marshall testing event.

Free COVID-19 testing will be available at the Red Baron Arena and Expo from noon to 6 p.m., today through Thursday. The event is being organized through a partnership of the Minnesota Department of Health, the city of Marshall and Southwest Health and Human Services. Members of the National Guard will also be helping with logistics for the three-day testing event, Knutson said.

The MDH is partnering with Minnesota communities to hold testing events around the state. Marshall’s event will be one of six held this week. Knutson said the Marshall event will have the capacity to collect samples for 600 COVID-19 tests per day.

“It’s easiest if people pre-register,” to help manage traffic flow, she said. “But we welcome everybody.”

Everyone who feels they need it can be tested for COVID-19, whether they have symptoms or not, Knutson said. The testing will be free and won’t require insurance.

Local organizers said it was good to have the Red Baron Arena available to hold the testing event.

“The biggest thing is the amount of space, to have people spread out,” said Jasmine DeSmet, one of the organizers from the city of Marshall.

The setup of this week’s testing event will be different from the drive-up testing done in Marshall and Tyler over the summer, Knutson said. People being tested will park and go through registration outside the Red Baron Arena, before going inside to the testing area. People will be directed through one-way paths to help minimize potential spread of the virus, she said.

Knutson said people who are tested should be notified of their results in about 48 to 72 hours. If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they will be notified by phone call. Otherwise, they will be notified of their test results by text or email, she said.

SWHHS public health director Carol Biren said area health officials were anticipating an increase in COVID-19 cases this fall, as schools re-opened and people began to get “COVID fatigue” and social distance less.

“People want to get back to their normal, and we’re not ready yet,” Biren said.

There are a lot of reasons to keep up efforts to slow the spread of coronavirus, she said. While many people who get COVID-19 may experience only mild symptoms, others may need to be hospitalized. Plus, we still don’t know what the long-term effects of the disease are, she said. Surges of COVID-19 cases can also fill hospital beds and threaten to close schools and businesses back down.

Biren said the community testing event is one tool available for containing the spread of COVID-19 in the Marshall area, along with preventative measures like wearing masks, hand washing and social distancing.

“The goal is to have a comprehensive approach,” she said.

Area residents can visit https://www.primarybio.com/r/marshall for more information and to sign up for a test. Those who are unable to sign up online or need interpretation can call 1-855-612-0677 for assistance.

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