There were no lines for COVID testing at a new appointment-only testing site in New Castle County at what was described as its “soft opening” Monday.
The testing center run by FEMA is located at the Delaware City DMV. It’s expected to operate six days a week through February 7th.
Gov. John Carney, who visited the site Monday ,
said he hopes partnering with the federal government to open the site would take pressure off of other testing locations which continue to see high demand.
"With the surge in new cases, hospitalizations, the awareness that there’s a lot of spread out there, the demand for testing has gone way up. That’s a good thing. That means people are reacting and making sure they know what their status is so they can protect people around them," he said.
State emergency officials said those testing at the site could expect to get results within 48 hours.
Asked if similar testing centers would open in other parts of the state, Carney said the testing demand is lower downstate, but if more sites are requested, it would be up for consideration.
"We put it down here toward the southern part of New Castle County to see what impact it has on mid-state and lower Delaware," said Carney. "The demand for testing is high down there, not as high as it is up here, so we’ll keep our eye on that and when we get requests, we may.
Testing demand statewide has nearly tripled since the week before Thanksgiving. Carney said about 61,000 tests are being administered each week.
To make an appointment for testing at the new FEMA site, visit the I need a COVID 19 test website.
