At least three additional COVID-19 testing sites are set to open in North Texas on Friday.
Walgreens will operate one clinic in Dallas and Fort Worth, respectively. And the City of Arlington will run a clinic at the Parks Mall.
Appointments are required at each of the testing sites, according to officials, meaning that people who just show up should not expect to be tested.
“We need to qualify people. There are 2.2 million people in Tarrant County alone. We can’t test everyone,” said Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley. “If you don’t have symptoms, we can’t test you. Lots of people likely have [the coronavirus], but we cannot test everyone.”
Judge Whitley added that the term “drive-thru” clinic that has been attached to multiple sites already operating in the region does them, and the people looking for answers, a disservice.
“Drive-thru implies that it’s like Whataburger. Just order a test and get what you want. That is not how this works,” Judge Whitley said.
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The Walgreens clinic in Dallas will be in operation starting at 9 a.m. on Friday at 2060 S. Buckner Boulevard, in Pleasant Grove.
“I expect it will become an asset to our underserved communities,” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson noted in a news release. “This site will provide our city with much-needed additional testing capacity, which is critically important to our battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Walgreens clinic in Fort Worth will be in operation starting at 9 a.m. on Friday at 8600 Camp Bowie Boulevard West, which is at the corner of Las Vegas Trail.
The Arlington clinic will also begin is operation at 9 a.m. on Friday.
To receive a test, people must first make an appointment and must meet the standard to be tested, including having a fever over 99.6, a cough or experiencing shortness of breath.
To schedule an appointment with Walgreens, click here.
The schedule an appointment with the City of Arlington, click here.
