Walmart just opened its first drive-thru coronavirus testing sites. Here's what they look like.
2020-03-22T19:09:59Z
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- Walmart's first coronavirus testing sites opened on Sunday in Northlake and Joliet, Illinois.
- The sites are currently serving first responders and healthcare workers and can administer up to 150 tests per day.
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Walmart on Sunday opened its first drive-thru coronavirus testing sites in the parking lots of two of its Chicago-area stores.
The sites, launched in partnership with the federal government, are located outside Walmart stores in Northlake and Joliet, Illinois.
Here's what they look like.
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Walmart CEO Doug McMillon recently announced at a White House press conference that the company would partner with the federal government to open coronavirus testing sites.
Nine days since that announcement, the first testing sites have opened.
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The testing areas are separated from Walmart's parking lots with concrete barriers.
Initially, the sites will serve only first responders and healthcare workers who may have been exposed to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
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The sites are currently administering a maximum of 150 tests per day, according to a Walmart spokesperson.
The number of tests available per day may increase once the sites move beyond the pilot phase and open to the general public.
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The sites are staffed by the US Department of Health and Human Services, as well as Walmart pharmacists who volunteered to support the locations.
Walmart chief operating officer Del Sloneker said the company has worked with healthcare officials to "prioritize the health and safety of our associates and those visiting our parking lots."
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"Those volunteering will be equipped with proper protective equipment, and all patients will be required to remain in their cars at all times," she wrote in a blog post published on Sunday.
The tests will initially be available in select locations and scale over time, according to Walmart.
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