PUEBLO — Opening day at the new free COVID-19 community testing site at the Pueblo Mall started off busy, and according to one test-taker, the test itself was "very easy."
Renee Wing, a first time test-taker, was nervous about coming to the new site and getting her COVID-19 test today, but ended up saying there was "nothing to it" and that she would come back to this site again if need be.
"It was fine. I thought it was going to hurt, but it was no problem," Wing said.
According to the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment's Public Health Director Randy Evetts, the city decided it was time to open a second testing site when the lines at the Colorado State Fairground were getting too long.
"We were starting to see... about two or three hour wait times to get through the testing site,” Evetts said.
Evetts expressed how pleased he was with the amount of testers Monday morning and how efficiently the process was going.
“We have a good crowd this morning. I think it’s moving pretty well through there takes... about 10 minutes or so,” he said.
The site will be open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for free testing with no ID or insurance requirements.
Along with this site, Puebloans can continue to use the Colorado State Fairgrounds site to get tested for COVID-19. This site is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through the month of December, an update from its original hours of operation.
“By opening the testing site earlier in the morning our goal is to better assist those who have been getting in line before 9 a.m. on weekdays and those wanting to be tested on Saturdays,” stated Evetts in a release. “I encourage people to register with MAKO Medical before heading to the testing site, to move through the site quicker.” The Pueblo Mall testing site will have an express lane for those who are pre-registered.
To pre-register for the Pueblo Mall location, click here. To pre-register for the Colorado State Fairgrounds location, click here.
People displaying COVID-19 symptoms are encouraged to get tested immediately along with first responders, healthcare workers and individuals who work in congregate settings.
For more information on COVID-19 in Pueblo or test site information, click here.
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