Caudill says the exact location of the site won't be shared publicly to stop people from trying to get walk-up testing.
(Emma Atkinson, WFIU/WTIU News)
The new OptumServe COVID-19 testing site in Monroe County will open by Thursday, May 14 in downtown Bloomington.
“We don’t want to disclose the exact location publicly, but it will be downtown,” Monroe County Health Administrator Penny Caudill says.
She says the health department doesn’t want people to think they can just walk up and get tested. Appointments may be made here at the Indiana State Department of Health’s website.
“People in high-risk groups who are 65 and over with chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure or other conditions will be able to test, even if they are not symptomatic,” Caudill said.
With these loosened rules on testing, Caudill says the new site will also be doing more contact tracing.
“This will allow us to identify hotspots within the community,” Caudill says. “We can make connections between common places people have been and respond rapidly.”
Anyone who has been in close contact with a person testing positive automatically will be eligible for a test.
The daily hours will be Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
