LOCKHART, Texas (KXAN) — Members of the Texas Army National Guard members were stationed at Lockhart Junior High School Tuesday to administer a drive-thru testing site for people showing symptoms of COVID-19.
“A lot of people commented on our Facebook page and also on our county web page, wanting to know when we were going to have a test site,” says Hector Rangel, Caldwell County emergency management coordinator.
On Tuesday, the State of Texas accepted Caldwell County’s application. It’s the first time residents were able to do that within county lines.
“Some of them have been traveling outside the county to get tested. So, the state of Texas had a team come by,” Rangel says.
The Texas Army National Guard swabbed patients who were pre-screened online for symptoms.
“We only have 11 confirmed cases and five recovery cases but with this testing we’ll probably find out how many more we have in the county,” Rangel says.
Rangel says 100 people signed up to be tested, which is the site’s full capacity.
As the state gets ready to reopen this week, one business owner says this type of testing should have happened a lot sooner.
“The more we know about how many people could possibly be carrying the virus, the more reassured we can feel about how we open up our businesses,” says Wendy Ramsey, owner of Wendy R. Gifts in Lockhart.
Ramsey doesn’t plan to allow customers through her doors for at least another month.
“Yeah, not going to do that,” she says. “I’m just not ready to think that this is…’Woohoo! It’s over!’”
Still, she’s glad testing is finally happening at home and will be keeping an eye on the numbers before switching from curbside service back to in-store shopping.
“With the virus, it feels like every week is a different story, so we’ll just have to see as time goes on,” Ramsey says.
Ramsey says the county may have another testing site, but has to wait for additional approval. Those tested Tuesday can expect a call or text with their results in about five days.
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