PLEASE NOTE: THIS PARKS TESTING PROGRAM ENDED JUNE 30, 2021
As permanent COVID-19 testing sites continue to serve thousands of people each day, Wake County is expanding access to COVID-19 testing even further by partnering with the City of Raleigh to launch three temporary testing locations, beginning Monday, Feb.1.
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.
“We’re committed to bringing testing to the places in Wake County where it’s needed most,” said Wake County’s COVID-19 Operations Manager Eugene Chalwe. “The whole process takes minutes, and we strongly encourage anyone who feels they may need a COVID-19 test to get one. You don’t even need a car at our drive-thru testing sites. You can simply walk up and receive assistance.”
Wake County will offer testing from Monday, Feb. 1, through Sunday, Feb. 7, at the following parks:
- Sanderford Road Park
2623 Sanderford Road, Raleigh - Carolina Pines Park
2305 Lake Wheeler Road, Raleigh - Lions Park
516 Dennis Ave., Raleigh
The hours for testing are:
- Monday, Feb. 1
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. - Tuesday, Feb. 2, through Saturday, Feb. 6
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. - Sunday, Feb. 7
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In addition to the temporary sites, the permanent testing location at Zebulon Community Park announced last week will continue to serve residents in this area of the county. Zebulon shows the highest positivity rate at an alarming 17.8%.
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.
