Some residents of Bowling Green and the surrounding area are getting tested for the coronavirus in a new type of waiting room: their car.
Drive-through testing began Tuesday morning at South Warren High School, and will continue into next week.
Carl Coffey, 31, and his wife, Brittany Coffey, 29, had an appointment Tuesday afternoon. The couple is in good health and not considered high risk.
Carl said he’s been sneezing, but thinks seasonal allergies are to blame, so getting tested for COVID-19 was mainly precautionary.
“We haven’t been traveling much in terms of going out in town. I’ll go to the store every so often, but just knowing there’s a bigger spike here made us concerned,” he said.
Coffey described the testing process as “efficient”, and said the entire procedure, including paperwork and the self-administered nasal swab test, took about 10 minutes.
The South Warren facility will be open through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Due to high demand, this week’s appointments are already booked. Starting Wednesday, those interested in getting tested can begin making appointments for next week.
Testing is also underway this week in Cadiz, Hazard, Hopkinsville, Lexington, Louisville, Mt. Vernon, Murray, and Owensboro.
The tests are being conducted through a partnership between the state and Kroger. About 300 tests are conducted daily at each site.
The state has ramped up testing in recent weeks as it moves toward a gradual reopening of the economy.
