NASHVILLE – Governor Bill Lee’s Unified Command Group will open drive through COVID-19 testing sites in three counties Saturday, Oct. 24 to address rising case rates in Tennessee’s rural areas.

“We’ve seen an upward trend in COVID cases in rural Tennessee that are cause for concern,” said Commissioner Lisa Piercey, MD, MBA, FAAP, Tennessee Department of Health. “Bringing back weekend drive through testing helps with access to testing which will help combat COVID-19’s continued health threat. In addition to testing, Tennesseans need to take simple, yet impactful, precautions - wearing masks, washing hands, and social distancing – to protect themselves.”

Saturday’s COVID-19 testing is free to those who want to receive a test. The testing  locations are as follows:

Grundy County Grundy County High School 24970 TN-108 Coalmont, TN 37313

Fentress County Fentress County Senior Citizens Center 308 South Main St. Jamestown, TN 38556

Dyer County Dyersburg High School 125 US-51 Bypass Dyersburg, TN 38024

Testing sites will be open from 9 a.m. to noon local time, and will remain open until all vehicles in line have received tests. The testing events Saturday in Grundy, Fentress, and Dyer counties will begin an ongoing effort, through the fall, to bring weekend, drive through COVID-19 testing opportunities to rural Tennesseans. These efforts will include notification of results and contact with the health department to provide education on isolation and quarantine recommendations that are important parts of slowing the spread of the virus.

Tennessee National Guard medics and TDH personnel will be at each rural testing site to collect nasal swabs from those who voluntarily agree to a COVID-19 test.

Participants should receive their test results within 72 hours, depending on test processing volume at laboratories. Information will be provided to participants at the testing locations on what they can expect after being tested. This information is also available at: www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/cedep/novelcoronavirus/TestedGuidance.pdf.

Governor Lee formed the UCG on March 23, 2020, bringing together the Tennessee Department of Health, Tennessee Department of Military, and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency to streamline coordination across key Tennessee departments to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.