The coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread and has reached almost everywhere in the world. Each day, we are seeing increasing amounts of lockdowns and quarantine regimes. Since casinos attract a large number of visitors throughout the year, these sites have been closed to curb the virus spread. Among the shuttered sites, Rhode Island Casino is to become a coronavirus testing site.
Governor Gina Raimondo said on Monday that Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island would be used by CVS as a rapid Coronavirus testing site. The drive-through site has the capacity to do 1,000 tests per day. Positive results can be provided in five minutes, while negative results will be available in 13 minutes. The 1,000 tests daily is considerably higher than Rhode Island’s prior testing capacity.
“The average person will get their results in about 15 minutes after they’ve had their test. CVS Health is uniquely positioned to play a vital role in helping support both local communities and the overall health care system in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.”- Dr. Troyen Brennan, executive vice president and chief medical officer of CVS Health, said in the statement.
According to Raimondo, the testing site will double the state’s testing capacity with around 1,000 tests per day and it will be available seven days a week at different time slots.“Today marks a giant leap forward in our efforts to combat this virus,” Raimondo said in the release. “Thanks to the partnership and generosity of CVS Health, we will be able to double our testing capacity and provide on-the-spot results to thousands of Rhode Islanders each day. Making testing rapid and readily available is the key to slowly reopening our economy, and today we are one step closer to that goal.”
CVS Health is offering tests in Rhode Island as well as in Georgia at Georgia Tech. Testing can be availed by an appointment or by a doctor referral. However, Rhode Islanders don’t need a doctor referral but will need to fix an appointment online and answer some basic questions to see if they really need to go for a test. Testing in both Rhode Island and Georgia is in parking lots that can accommodate multiple lanes of cars at a time, and are easily accessible to people.