Drive-Thru Testing Sites Overwhelmed

The lines at COVID-19 drive-thru testing sites in Massachusetts and around the country are ridiculously long right now. There are stories in just about every publication and on many television/radio news programs about how people are waiting for two hours or more to be tested, and in some cases being turned away because sites are running out of testing kits. It seems most agree that the long lines are due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

State health officials are encouraging us to forgo our traditional family gathering this year and to try and keep things to members of our immediate household only. It’s not an order, but it is recommended. With this being the case, it looks like many people are trying to find a reason why it’s still okay to travel to grandmas or Uncle Joe's house for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. So, testing sites are being overwhelmed with would be travelers hoping for a negative test result.

My family is having a small gathering. There’s only going to be five of us, but we are traveling over to the Eastern part of the state, where my son and his fiancé are hosting. And we, like many others apparently, decided to get tested before we go. We waited for just over two-hours on Friday morning at a drive-thru testing site at the abandoned Eastfield Mall in Springfield. We happened to pre-register, which I think saved us a test, but as we were not certain of that, we were still a bit worried toward the end. Luckily, we made it to the end of the line and received our tests, which by the way came back negative.

Other people at other locations weren’t so lucky. My son and fiancé for example waited for nearly two-hours and were in fact turned away because the site they went to ran out of testing supplies. I’m not sure if they pre-registered or not. In any case. They ended up having to go somewhere else. Assuming their tests come back negative, away we go.

Maybe I’m opening myself up to scrutiny for admitting to going anywhere, but I know I’m not the only one. We will however be following social distancing guidelines and wearing face coverings.

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