LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Two new COVID-19 testing sites were set to open this weekend to ease traffic jams at other existing sites. Now traffic is what's forcing organizers to delay the opening until next week.
The original sites of the two locations have also had to move to a location more equipped to handle a high volume of traffic.
City Councilwoman Victoria Seaman is working to add drive-thru testing at Veteran's Memorial Center.
The Councilwoman has also brought in an outside company to be able to offer City of Las Vegas employees COVID-19 testing seven days a week, compared to four days currently.
“The testing sites that have been up were incurring a lot of traffic issues, and this halts testing, and we don’t want those glitches. So we’re going to try and do everything we can to learn what was happening over there so we can roll it out more smoothly," City Councilwoman Victoria Seaman, said.
Councilwoman Seaman partnered with Northshore Clinical Lab to provide an unlimited number of COVID-19 tests for Clark County residents, including those who are not insured. Now they are working on ways to prevent traffic issues other sites have been seeing when they open next week.
“So this is major because we want to make sure that people have that opportunity to go and get tested so that they could quarantine and do what they need to do and get people right back to work," Councilwoman Seaman said.
The testing sites come after Councilwoman Seaman, and her team noticed an increase in demand and a need for more testing sites.
“People were reaching out to us, and it just seemed like ok, well let’s just get to work, let’s get with whoever we need to and make sure that we do something, and this is what I feel like a leader in the community that it's my job to find solutions," Councilwoman Seaman said.
Testing at these two locations will begin next weekend and will operate from 8 am-5 pm.
Insurance and appointments are not required.
“We don’t want to see anybody that needs testing not be able to do that just because they don’t have insurance. This is kudos to north shore labs for doing this, and we’re just excited to partner with them," Councilwoman Seaman said.
