Wake County Hosting COVID-19 Testing at Parks in Raleigh, Morrisville Next Week

PLEASE NOTE: THIS PROGRAM ENDED JUNE 30, 2021

As the permanent COVID-19 testing sites continue to serve thousands of people each day, Wake County is adding three new locations in Raleigh and Morrisville starting Monday, Feb. 8.

Based in local parks, these convenient drive-thru sites will make it easy for residents who live in communities with higher rates of infection to get tested.

“Our community testing strategies and partnerships continue to expand access to free, convenient testing all across Wake County,” said Wake County’s COVID-19 Operations Manager Eugene Chalwe. “The process takes minutes, and if you have any reason to believe you might have been exposed to COVID-19, you are welcome to be tested. You don’t even need a car at our drive-thru testing, you can simply walk up.”

Wake County will offer testing from Monday, Feb. 8, through Sunday, Feb. 14, at the following parks:

The hours for testing are:

  • Monday, Feb. 8
    11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Tuesday, Feb. 9, through Saturday, Feb. 13
    8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Sunday, Feb. 14
    11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In addition to the park sites, Union Church is hosting a food distribution for anyone in need at 5808 Departure Drive next to the county’s permanent testing site at that location this weekend. The hours of distribution are:

  • Friday, Feb. 5
    Noon–6 p.m.
  • Saturday, Feb. 6
    9 a.m.–5 p.m.

For the latest testing times and to see all of our locations, check wakegov.com/testing. Use the “< >” symbols to scroll through the days of the week.

How do we test? Several tents and lanes will be set up in each park, and you’ll pull up to them in your car. Staff will hand you a short swab, and you’ll be asked to circle it around in the lower part of your nose several times. Then, you’ll put the swab in a vial and hand it back to us.

How do I get my results? You’ll be given a card with information about how to go online or sign up for an email to get your results. Most results return within 24–48 hours.

Testing is available for everyone and especially recommended for:

  • People who have symptoms, including fever, cough, shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, and loss of smell;
  • People who have been a “close contact” of someone confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19 within the past 14 days;
  • People with or without symptoms who are part of an outbreak response or contact investigation in high-risk settings, such as nursing homes, congregate living facilities, correctional facilities or homeless communities; and
  • People without symptoms who believe they may be infected should consider getting tested. For example, in the past two weeks, you were around many people who weren’t wearing face coverings and/or weren’t keeping a safe distance.

Testing is not recommended for people who have already had a positive viral COVID-19 test in the past 90 days and do not currently have symptoms of COVID-19.

Staying Updated
Visit Wake County’s multilingual COVID-19 webpage for the latest information on COVID-19. It features a set of frequently asked questions to educate residents, COVID-19 vaccine information and the most current data on how the virus is impacting our county.

Also, look for important updates about COVID-19 on Wake County’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. 

Department
Health & Human Services
Category
Press Release