Yuma County sees long lines at testing centers days after Christmas
News 11's Adonis Albright speaks with site workers to learn more about how they're handling the influx
SOMERTON, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - It's only been a few days since Christmas, and already lines at COVID-19 testing centers are starting to get longer and longer.
The drive-thru testing site at the Regional Center for Border Health (RCBH) in Somerton is used to a high volume of patients, but according to test site workers, Monday and Tuesday was non-stop from open to close.
“Yesterday was one of our longest days to date in regards to testing. We had people lining up I think as early as five in the morning. The line was probably about a mile long, and it’s just a trend that we’re seeing. We saw it after Thanksgiving and we saw it after Christmas, where people are still getting together, they’re still hanging out with their families and they’re still doing everything that we’re advising against”, said Alex Bejarano, the community liaison and director of public relations for RCBH.
News 11 also spoke with one of the site workers, who said although the site closes at three in the afternoon, there were still people getting tested until well after four.
Health officials warned of a holiday surge after seeing a rise in cases from Thanksgiving. With New Years right around the corner, experts predict the numbers are only going to continue to climb.
“We are preparing for all of the holidays, we’re hoping that people won’t get together, we’re hoping not to see such a big surge on New Years like we did see for Thanksgiving and like we’re seeing now for Christmas. We’re hoping, but if that’s not the case though, then we are prepared to test as many people as we can for that time period”, said Bejarano.
The drive-thru testing site at the Regional Center for Border Health is open from 7 AM to 3 PM Monday through Friday. Testing is free and available to the public regardless of insurance. For more information, click here.
