There are testing sites set up around the metro area where the lines can be long and some clinics and Urgent Care facilities tell FOX 8, patients can wait a couple of hours to get tested. Those wait times could increase after Mayor Cantrell announced new requirements.
You’ll have to show proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test to enter restaurants, bars, gyms, or entertainment events. The negative results from a PCR test must be within a 72 hours time frame.
Most people we talked to say, they know it’s a hassle to run out and take a COVID test, but it’s all in an effort to protect themselves and the community. Healthcare professionals say, people who are not vaccinated and need a PCR test, also need to know when to get tested and the wait times they may face.
“So, if you know that you have an event coming on Saturday that you want to attend, the best time to get tested will be on that Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning to give the lab enough time to process that for us, ” says Teshawn Ash.
Some health clinics and Urgent Care facilities are already anticipating more people showing up to get tested. Urgent Care Eleven on St. Claude Avenue tells FOX 8, they’re already testing around 300 to 360 people a day and those numbers will likely go up. They’re hiring additional staff and ordering more testing kits.
If you go to an Urgent Care or a clinic to get tested, you’ll have to pay for it, but there are free testing sites around the city where the tests are free.
https://www.fox8live.com/2021/08/13/covid-19-testing-expected-increase-because-new-restrictions-new-orleans/
