FEMA, the state of Texas, and the city of Arlington on Tuesday announced a partnership to open a temporary drive-thru COVID-19 test site near Choctaw Stadium, city and county officials said in a news release.
The testing site will open on Wednesday for a three-week period in response to the rise of COVID-19 cases and the surge of Omicron transmission, which is driving an increase in demand for testing countywide. The site, which will operate seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Feb. 8, will be located in Texas Rangers’ Sienna Lot M at 1205 Pennant Drive. The testing site can only be accessed by entering southbound on AT&T Way.
“The Omicron variant has brought a pandemic high of illness that has triggered a demand for testing unlike anything we’ve seen in our journey with COVID thus far. We know testing is a critical tool in developing plans to mitigate the spread and the community is understandably concerned about appointment availability and wait times,” says Tarrant County Commissioner Devan Allen in a statement. “We have been working diligently to increase capacity throughout the county and I want to thank everyone who has helped stand up this new FEMA surge testing site near Choctaw Stadium so quickly.”
Testing is free and open to all ages. No insurance information will be collected.
Pre-registration online is highly recommended, however, in order to provide contact information for results and to select an appointment time slot. Multiple people in the same vehicle can receive a test during the same time slot. A QR code will be provided for each person receiving a test and must be shown at the test site as appointment confirmation. Onsite registration is possible, but pre-registration is highly recommended to reduce waiting times.
Results will be available between 24 to 36 hours. To register, visit ineedacovid19test.com, select Texas, and Choctaw Stadium, Parking Lot M, 1205 Pennant Drive, Arlington.
The test is a self-collected shallow nasal swab test. Individuals will swab the inside of their nose with direction from onsite staff. Parents or legal guardians will need to swab small children. Anyone under 18 years of age will need a parent or guardian to register them online and their consent to receive testing.