Update: At some point after we published this and our other article about firehouse testing in the District, DC’s Covid-19 testing website put a June 15th end date on the program. That means Fire Company 31 performed its first and last test on June 11th. We are checking with the offices of Mayor Bowser and DC Council member Mary Cheh.
If you joined the crowds protesting against police brutality last weekend, now is the time to make sure you didn’t pick up more than a protest sign.
A George Mason University professor of epidemiology tells DCist that it’s best to get tested for the coronavirus between three and five days after you may have been exposed, and in the meantime, to act as if you were by self-quarantining and staying away from high-risk individuals.
Mayor Bowser is encouraging marchers to get tested for the coronavirus. You do not need to show symptoms to be tested, either. The mayor’s office, in a statement to media outlets, said, “We are currently offering testing to anyone who needs a test. We literally bought the url needaTESTgetaTEST.com to highlight that if residents need a test, they can get a test. Mayor Bowser also directed the Emergency Operations Command to utilize firehouses as testing sites and that work has begun.”
One of the firehouse testing sites is Engine Company 31 at 4930 Connecticut Avenue. EMTs and paramedics will administer the tests from 4 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays. As we reported this week, the firehouse sites don’t require appointments. The city says the test results will be available in three to five days.