Southeast Georgia Health District holds pop-up Covid test distribution

METTER, Ga. (WTOC) - One health agency in our region is bringing home Covid-19 tests to an intersection near you.

In the 16 counties of the Southeast Georgia Health District, they’re passing them out on the street to get them into your hands.

Folks from the Southeast Georgia Health District hope these “pop up” test distributions can help people identify Covid cases quicker, get them treated and keep the spread to a minimum.

Team members stood on the corners in downtown Metter, giving out handfuls of tests for people to take home. They brought roughly 2,000 of them to give out at no charge.

Organizers say having tests at home can save someone from venturing out when they could expose others.

“Having those tests at home, you’ve got the ability to handle it yourself at home and go from there,” said Katie Hadden, with the Southeast Georgia Health District.

It all caught some people by surprise. They had to double back, double check, and take advantage.

“You never know who might come over that doesn’t feel good or a family member doesn’t feel good. It’s good to keep at least one on hold,” said Karen Cardell.

Team members say they’re also glad that the pandemic has slowed to the point they can do something like this with less worry than in just a few months ago.

Hadden says they’re looking to do more of these.

In the meantime, you can simply go to your local health department and ask for some.

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