Courtesy of the Lincoln County Health Department

LINCOLN COUNTY – The Lincoln County Health Department (LCHD) is collaborating with the Wisconsin National Guard to continue to provide free drive-through COVID-19 testing on a weekly basis. COVID-19 testing will be conducted every Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. starting Jan. 6, 2021 and ending on March 10, 2021. The location of the testing site is the Merrill Festival Grounds, located at 2001 E. 2nd St., Merrill, with the entrance on Memorial Drive.

No appointments are necessary; however, pre-registration is strongly encouraged and can be done at www.register.covidconnect.wi.gov.

Testing is intended for symptomatic individuals or close contacts who are five years and older. COVID-19 symptoms include fever, cough, loss of taste/smell, shortness of breath, sore throat, fatigue, body aches, diarrhea, vomiting or nausea, chills, and muscle aches.

These events are only available to people that live or work in Wisconsin.

Individuals receiving a test should be prepared to provide a current address, county of residence, phone number, and email address when they arrive. Testing will be provided on a first come, first serve basis and attendees may have to wait to be tested. Vehicles will form a line while waiting for testing, and all attendees will need to stay in or on their vehicle at all times. No restroom facilities will be available onsite; please plan accordingly.

The National Guard will collect nasal swabs from those being tested to conduct a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. The PCR test is the “gold standard test” for COVID-19. The National Guard will be in uniform and in full PPE (personal protective equipment, including gowns, mask, gloves, etc.) during these events.

Please note that anyone tested is required to stay home until test results come back. Test results will be provided via email or phone, if you do not have email, by the National Guard.

Any questions related to testing can be directed to Lexi Buntrock, COVID-19 Response Coordinator, LCHD, at 715-539-1374 or lexi.buntrock@co.lincoln.wi.us.

There are additional community testing sites in Wisconsin. Information can be found at www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/testing.htm.

For the latest information about COVID-19 in Lincoln County visit www.co.lincoln.wi.us/covid19 or follow LCHD on Facebook. You can also visit the CDC’s website (www.cdc.gov) or the DHS website (www.wisconsin.dhs.gov).