Published 22:04 IST, March 16th 2020
Drive-through testing for coronavirus to begin in America soon
Recently a federal pilot program has been announced that would see the implementation of drive-through testing sites for coronavirus in the US.
Recently a federal pilot program has been announced that would see the implementation of drive-through testing sites for coronavirus in the US. According to reports, the testing sites would be operational by March 18 - March 19. Mayor of New Orleans, LaToya Cantrell in a statement said that New Orleans would be participating in the program.
Slow the spread of the virus
As per reports, the Mayor said that the US was witnessing a crisis and that everyone had to pay attention. The Mayor added that every resident in New Orleans has a part to play in controlling this pandemic. 'Social Distancing' was not a buzzword anymore and that it had become a way to save lives and also slow the spread of the virus.
As per reports, drive-through testing sites were also planned in Broward County in Florida. This step was taken in response to the high number of Covid-19 cases in Florida. As per reports, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in a news conference on March 15 said that hundreds of personnel from the National Guards had been deployed to help supplement the medical teams that were fighting the coronavirus.
On March 13, US President Donald Trump said that Coronavirus testing on a large scale will begin soon. While the US President tweeted this announcement, he did not provide any further information. The tweet was made in the context the Centers for Disease Control and the Obama administrations handling of pandemics in the past.
In his tweets, Trump said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is one of U.S. organisations leading the fight against the deadly infection, had inadequate and slow testing methods for large scale pandemics. The US President didn't elaborate on what exactly these inadequacies were.
After that Trump said that all the 'Red Tape' had been cut and that large scale testing will begin soon. Trump also took this chance to criticise his predecessor, Obama, and claimed that the former President had made changes that made things all the more complicated.
The deadly coronavirus that began in China's Wuhan province has been officially named COVID-19 by the World Health Organisation. While the majority of reported cases are still present in mainland China, the virus has spread to multiple countries
Updated 22:04 IST, March 16th 2020