Health Department offers free COVID testing at Crystal Mountain Oct. 22 as cases rise
From staff reports
Update: free COVID testing was scheduled for Monday, Oct. 19, at the Pit Spitters’ Turtle Creek Stadium in Traverse City, and Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb, but the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department was notified today that the National Guard, which was to facilitate the upcoming free COVID-19 testing events, had to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances. Free testing will still be available on Thursday, Oct. 22, at Crystal Mountain.
In a unified effort to make COVID-19 testing more accessible to our region, the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department, Grand Traverse County Health Department, and Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians are joining forces along with the Michigan National Guard to offer no-cost, drive-thru COVID-19 testing to the public on Thursday, Oct. 22, from noon-4:30 p.m. at Crystal Mountain resort in Thompsonville.
Testing is available to any Michigan resident regardless of symptoms. In order to be tested, you must bring a driver’s license or state ID. A doctor’s order is not needed. Tests are for diagnostic purposes (this is not an antibody test) and will be sent to a laboratory for analysis. Results will be available via online portal, and any individual with a positive test result will be contacted by their local health department.
Thursday, October 22
Crystal Mountain Resort parking lot
12500 Crystal Mountain Dr.
Thompsonville, MI 49683
noon – 4:30 p.m.
“With the onset of fall and schools back in session with in-person learning, more testing is essential,” said Wendy Hirschenberger, Health Officer with the Grand Traverse County Health Department. “With colder weather comes many of the typical cold or flu symptoms. Those symptoms are also symptoms of COVID-19, so getting tested is important because you might think you have a cold, but it might be more. Identify those with COVID-19 and isolating them from others is the key to stopping the transmission further. Increased testing is an instrumental part of assessing risk to keep the numbers down in The Grand Traverse region,”
“We are happy to offer mass COVID-19 testing opportunities throughout our counties next week,” added Lisa Peacock, Health Officer with the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department. “It is important to maintain testing capacity so that we can continue to meet the demands for testing as well as accurately monitor the pandemic risk. Our hope is that through this partnership with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Michigan National Guard, and our local public health departments we will be better able to serve the testing needs of our communities.”
Cases rising in region, state and nation
COVID cases in Leelanau and Benzie show signs of rising again to July levels. Since March, the two-county region has seen 207 cases: 120 from Leelanau and 87 from Benzie. 3 have died. Cases are surging statewide as Thursday recorded a single-day record of 2,030 cases. Weekly COVID numbers mirror Michigan’s previous pandemic peak from April. Meanwhile, COVID is rising in more than 40 U.S. states, and parts of Europe are locking down as they face a fall surge.
On Wednesday, the Director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity issued emergency rules to establish requirements for employers to control, prevent, and mitigate the spread of Coronavirus among employees. The emergency rules align closely with the Governor’s Executive Order 184- safe guards for employees, which is now rescinded. These emergency rules were released to protect businesses and their staff.
“We need to remember that we approached this pandemic in March with a collective goal to ‘flatten the curve’ and protect the hospital systems and we did!” said Peacock. “We are now approaching a new stage—a rise in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths as we enter flu season. It is more important than ever to stand together against this virus so that we can protect the vulnerable, protect the healthcare systems, and help our children continue to receive the highest quality education in person. Continuing to live as we have been for a while longer seems difficult, but it also seems like a small price to pay to avoid returning to where we started.”
