Lane County offering free coronavirus testing for victims of wildfires

Governor Kate Brown and the Oregon Health Authority will be bolstering their state-wide COVID-19 testing, starting with those displaced or in need following the wildfires from last month.

Many Oregonians are still without access to their homes after fires destroyed thousands of acres of land — half a dozen fires are still burning.

With new coronavirus tests acquired through federal assistance, the OHA is setting their sights on helping those with additional struggles.

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This care is especially important when considering that evacuation centers don’t necessarily have enough room to keep everyone at a safe physical distance, the CDC revising their stance on how far the coronavirus can travel through the air, and smoke inhalation causing an increase in vulnerability to airborne viruses.

According to Lane County officials — the home of Eugene, Oregon, the Willamette National Forest, and Florence — a three-day testing pop-up will take place at the Lane Events Center.

This pop-up testing site is free to wildfire evacuees in the region.

Free COVID-19 testing events for wildfire evacuees start tomorrow.https://t.co/A37h4WYuXy pic.twitter.com/Q9sGGP1IyY

— Lane County Gov (@LaneCountyGov) October 6, 2020

The dates for free testing begin Wednesday, October 7, and run until Friday, October 9. The site will be open from 2 pm to 6 pm Wednesday, 12 pm to 4 pm Thursday, and 2 pm to 6 pm Friday.

Testing will take place at the Lane Events Center (796 West 13th Avenue, Eugene, Oregon), beginning Wednesday afternoon.