The City of Milwaukee is working with the Wisconsin National Guard in opening the first two community-wide testing sites for COVID-19.
They will be running from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day starting Monday, May 11, 2020, located at the parking lot of UMOS Inc. at 2701 South Chase Avenue and the parking lot of Midtown Center on West Capitol Drive.
“This is the first time that we are doing asymptomatic testing,”says Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. “In other words, you do not have to show symptoms. However, we really, really, really want to make sure that those individuals who are having symptoms…We want you to come for certain if you are willing to do so.”
Barrett is emphasizing the need for front-line workers to get tested. “People who are working in grocery stores, or are working in other places where they’re interfacing with the public. If you are out there in the public, we want you to have access to this. We want you to come and get tested.”
As for the National Guard’s role at the test sites, Captain Joe Trovano says it will be similar to other sites they have helped to run across the state.
“Each of our teams consist of approximately 20 to 30 citizen soldiers and airmen,” says Trovano, “and we’re going to have three teams supporting each of the two site. So we’re looking at about 175 troops totals between the two sites.”
Trovano adds guard members will be in a supporting role at the sites, as they assist health department officials and workers with conducting tests with nasal swabs and helping to transport them to labs for testing.
As for what National Guard members will be wearing at the sites, it is their own reusable personal protection equipment. “We understand that the suits that our troops are wearing maybe look a little bit intimidating, look a little bit scary. We’re wearing these suits because they’re what the military has issued for our normal military mission. They are what we have already on hand, and they’re what we’ve trained with on a regular basis.”
Barrett says test results will take up to three days to come back. If someone does test positive, contact tracers will get in touch with them to help reach other people who may have had close contact with that person.
“The whole goal here is the more we can ramp up the testing, the more we believe that we can quickly get out life back to normal, and that’s the goal for all of us,” says Barrett.