PUYALLUP, Wash. — Starting Monday, the Washington State Fairgrounds in Puyallup will become a drive-through COVID-19 testing site.
Tests are free and no appointment is required, but it could take up to five days to get results, Pierce County said.
An already high level of demand for testing is expected to increase as people return to work and school after the holidays.
Health officials are urging people to get tested after their Christmas and New Year's gatherings, and they especially want children to get tested before returning to school.
At-home testing kits can still be difficult to find in stores, and UW Medicine this week said it's limiting its testing sites to patients with symptoms and known exposures.
The website for Curative, a network of testing kiosks throughout the region, shows several open appointments next week.
Seattle Public Schools canceled classes on Monday so kids can get tested. The district said it has 60,000 rapid tests available for staff and students.
The Washington State Department of Health said frequent testing is essential for keeping kids healthy and learning.
“Our schools have done a remarkable job of limiting spread and being able to keep children in classrooms, keeping their classrooms open and keeping their schools open,” said Lacy Fehrenbach, deputy secretary for COVID response.
Federal officials urged districts to do whatever it takes to keep classrooms open.
“Our default model should be full-time five days a week, in person, recognizing that there may be times, due to increase in cases, in spread, inadequate staffing, that short-term closures may be needed, but our mentality should be our students suffered enough," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. "We have the tools. We have the resources. They should be in the classroom."