Good morning, neighbor!
I’m writing this week to tell you about my experience at the Stop the Spread COVID-19 testing site at Greenfield Community College.
You might ask yourself, “Why should I be tested?” Maybe you’ve only seen one or two people and they are well. Maybe you’ve gone to the grocery store a couple of times but didn’t come into contact with anyone.
I don’t think it’s a bad thing to get tested, even if you don’t think you were exposed. Many people who have tested positive have said they had no idea where they got this awful disease. Sometimes, it takes a contact tracer to have a conversation with them to find out who infected them or who they might have infected, and while we don’t want to be pointing the finger at any of our friends, relatives, family or neighbors, we want to make sure we’re doing our part to keep everyone safe and healthy.
I asked for an appointment online the other day because I do see my kids and grandkids each week, and though we’ve all agreed to be as careful as possible, you just never know. I also wanted to get tested so I could tell you about the experience. The site opened Monday. It is for asymptomatic people, by the way.
After answering a few questions online and making the appointment Tuesday, I headed out from my place in Greenfield at about 7:50 on Thursday morning. My appointment was at 8:15. Yes, you guessed it, I am one of the hurry-up-and-wait people, so I sat in my car and listened to NEPR for a few minutes. I watched people walk in and out during that time — there were actually more people there than I thought there would be, but I found they kept everyone socially distanced.
When I got to the entrance of the GCC campus at the roundabout, signs guided me all the way to the parking lot on the south side of the building. The entrance to Sloan Theater, where the testing is done, can be seen from the parking lot, and signs lead into the theater, as well.
There are blue lines to stand on starting outside if the line gets too long, but I was able to walk right in. I was directed to a table where a nice young woman looked up my name and information. She then gave me a small plastic bag with a tube and a swab inside, along with directions in case I forgot what she told me from the table to the testing spot.
It’s a self-administered test, so they give you what you need and you do it — there’s no contact with anyone. Plenty of people are there to help, though, if you need it. You’re sent to a station protected by Plexiglas on the sides and the stations are placed 6 feet apart. I saw three, but there may have been more behind a curtain in the room.
You sanitize your hands, blow your nose, sanitize your hands again, and then swirl the swab around one nostril for a few seconds and then the other. You don’t have to go far, like we heard about early in the pandemic. Then, you place the swab, swab-side down, in the small tube they give you. You place the tube, which has your name and information on it, on a table on your way out. There’s a separate entrance and exit, so people aren’t passing each other.
That’s it! Easy. Painless. It took all of 10 minutes from beginning to end. I was back in my car before 8:30. They tell me I’ll have the results within 24 to 36 hours. Everyone gives their email address online. I believe if you don’t have an email, someone can do it for you through their email.
You all have to decide when or whether you need or want to get tested. I just want you to know that it’s not as big a deal as you’d think. I hope you are all staying safe, taking precautions and maybe even enjoying a little quiet.
To make an appointment to be tested at GCC, visit bit.ly/38CH7xF. The Greenfield site is for people ages 2 and older, and those under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. There was a little guy getting a test when I was there.
Hours of testing are Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon to 7 p.m.; and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Good luck!
Senior Reporter Anita Fritz grew up in Franklin County after moving from Spokane, Wash., when she was just a few weeks old. She covers Greenfield and does regional and COVID-19 reporting for the Greenfield Recorder.
The Link Lonk
January 19, 2021 at 06:20AM
https://www.recorder.com/Neighbors-COVID-19-testing-at-GCC-an-easy-process-38298641
Neighbors: COVID-19 testing at GCC an easy process - The Recorder
https://news.google.com/search?q=easy&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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